Born in Havana, Cuba in 1959, Bedia studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas San Alejandro before attending the Instituto Superior de Arte, where he graduated in 1981. His longstanding interests in anthropology, mythology and philosophy inform a practice that often draws on Afro-Cuban religions, including Santería and Palo Monte, alongside Indigenous traditions and imagery.
Bedia emerged in the early 1980s as part of a generation that helped reshape contemporary Cuban art, participating in the landmark exhibition Volumen Uno in Havana in 1981. He moved to Miami in 1993, where he still resides. Working across painting, drawing, sculpture and large-scale installation, Bedia’s work examines connections between humans, animals, nature and the spiritual world. Notable works include Mamá Kalunga (1992) and Algo incontrolable (2005), which was sold by Christie’s for US$30,480 in 2026.
Bedia has exhibited internationally, including at the Venice, Havana, São Paulo and Beijing Biennales, and his work is held in major public collections including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana. Recent exhibitions include Viaje Circular at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey in 2023 and Bestiary & Idols at Mendes Wood DM, New York, in 2024.
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Isla siempre en espera
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
¡Ay Tatá! ¿Hasta cuándo?
JOSÉ BEDIA (B. 1959)
Cumpliendo un destino inexorable
JOSÉ BEDIA (B. 1959)
Algo incontrolable
Jose Bedia (Cuban, b. 1959)
Fua Niombo
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Sarabanda son los hierros
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Sueño con bañistas
Jose Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Las ventajas del halcón
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Buey suelto
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Isla esperando
Jose Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Y aunque se acabe el mundo
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Solo, solo, solo me lleva
JOSÉ BEDIA (B. 1959)
Untitled
JOSÉ BEDIA (b. 1959)
Yemaya
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Un país que se ofrece
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Imaginando la isla en ella
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
A dónde iremos? A dónde no exista la muerte?
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Oráculo de la laguna
JOSÉ BEDIA (b. 1959)
Nsense
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Los que quiera Olokun
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Como salir
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Los ratos buenos del cormorán
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Busca rastro
Jose Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Historias de Don Jacinto
Jose Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Sé de cielos que estallan en rayos, se de trombas...
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
A la caza de un congénere
JOSÉ BEDIA (B. 1959)
Juega, gana, pierde
Jose Bedia (b. 1959)
Desierto Máscara y Nagual
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
...Y es como todas las tormentas sobre uno solo
Jose Bedia (b. 1959)
Intentos
José Bedia (Cuban, b. 1959)
Desde lejos voces a puro pulmón
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Ngunda/Mbani
José Bedia (Cuban b. 1959)
Su refugio
Jose Bedia (Cuban, b. 1959)
Al menos una señal
JOSÉ BEDIA (b. 1959)
Night at Opera (Final Years)
JOSÉ BEDIA (b. 1959)
Doce cuchillos
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Nkuyo
José Bedia (Cuban, b. 1959)
Pambián nsila
JOSÉ BEDIA (B. 1959)
Untitled
José Bedia (b. 1959)
Pájaro de poder
José Bedia (Cuban, b. 1959)
Los obstaculos
José Bedia (Cuban, b. 1959)
Viviendo al borde del rio
Jose Bedia (b. 1959)
Untitled
Jose Bedia (b. 1959)
Untitled
José Bedia (Cuban, b. 1959)
Al pie de la montaña por dante
Jose Bedia (b. 1959)
Untitled
JOSÉ BEDIA (B. 1959)
Dobles
JOSÉ BEDIA (B. 1959)
Sra. de la luna cambiante