Camagüey, 1971
Franklin Álvarez graduated from the Vocational School of Arts (1986) and the Professional School of Visual Art (1990), both in Camagüey; and the Superior Institute of Art (1998) in Havana. He worked at ISA as a professor of painting until 2001. Álvarez was the recipient of several awards including the Raúl Martínez Prize, granted by the Superior Institute of Art in 1998. He has received scholarships from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in New York City, in 1996 and 2005, respectively. His solo shows include Matando la Historia (Killing History) at the Ignacio Agramonte Provincial Museum in Camagüey (2010); Mientras tanto (Meanwhile) at 23 y 12 Gallery in Havana (2009); Sparring (2008) and Underwater Kingdom (2006), both at Servando Gallery in Havana; Cosas del querer (Love Things) at the Wifredo Lam Center for Contemporary Art in Havana (1999); and Canto a mí mismo (Song to Myself) at Habana Gallery in Havana (1998). His works are part of the collections of Nina Menocal Gallery in Mexico City, Mexico; the Antonio Pérez Foundation in Cuenca, Spain; the Wifredo Lam Center for Contemporary Art in Havana; the Cuba-Tuscany Association in Campi Bisenzio, Italy; and the Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio.