Humberto Castro was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1957. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro and Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana. His work stylistically mixes painting and figurative art with lyrical and conceptual elements, forming an art form credited to a new trend, referred to as Modern Neofiguration. His themes often deal with social and psychological challenges of human kind incorporating historical and socio-cultural myths.

He is a multimedia artist who works in painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics and installations as well as photography and video-art. In his early years, he also delved into performance art, especially using i tas a vehicle for social crititicism in his country.

In 1983 he founded the team Hexagon in which, alongside other artists, he mounted installations aimed at provoking the public participation with the work. Between 1980 and 1984 he produces an extensive body of graphics, particularly innovating in the intaglio technique. He has designed sets for theater and film in Cuba. In 1989 he immigrates to Paris, France, where he lived for ten years and became active in the Parisian intellectual scene, holding exhibitions and giving conferences across Europe. In 1999 he moved to the United States, where he lives and works.

Since the beginning of his career, he has received numerous international awards, and his work is present in notable museums and private collections. His work and artistic attitude have influenced subsequent generations of artists within Cuba. 

His work is today acclaimed internationally and is considered one of the most important and original exponents of Latin American Art.