Baruj Salinas is a Cuban-American contemporary visual artist. Born in 1935 in Havana, Cuba, Salinas has worked as an architect, professor as well as a painter, engraver and writer. He attended the Círculo de Bellas Artes and Kent State University eventually switching to architecture and design. In his painting, he began developed a style influenced by abstract expressionism during the 1950s and 60s. During this time Salinas co-founded the group GALA: Grupo de Artistas Latino Americanos, the first formal organization of Latin American artists in South Florida. Throughout his career Salinas has gained several awards for his dedication to art, including the CINTAS Fellowship, and has exhibited in more than 100 solo exhibitions in 20 countries around the world. His work is featured in over 30 private and public collections worldwide.