Born in Almeria, Spain, Xavier Gonzalez was a renowned painter, muralist and teacher, who divided his time between New York and Wellfleet. In 1978 he won the Gold Medal and the 79th Artist Annual Award at the National Art Club of New York. Gonzalez received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and Ford Foundation. Following his formal training at the Art Institute of Chicago, Gonzales traveled widely in Mexico, Europe and Far East, working and studying at European museums and spending time in a Buddhist monastery in Japan. He taught at Tulane University, Brooklyn Museum and was a Spanish lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His work has been exhibited at and is included in the permanent collections of many leading art institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Boston Museum of Fine Art.