Xavier Gonzalez

b. 1898, Almeria, Spain
d. 1993, Bronx, New York

A celebrated painter, muralist, and teacher, Xavier Gonzales was born in Almeria, Spain, in 1898. Initially planning to study engineering, Gonzales lived in Argentina and Mexico before immigrating to the United States in 1925 to attend the Art Institute of Chicago. After his studies, Gonzales traveled extensively in Mexico, Europe and Asia, working and studying at European museums and spending time in a Buddhist monastery in Japan. He taught art at Texas public schools, Tulane University, the Brooklyn Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and the Museum of Fine Art, Boston.