Antonio Permuy was born in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of New York City and raised in Coral Gables, Florida.
[21] Forbidden Fruit also marked the final career exhibitions with the active involvement of Baruj Salinas and Margarita Cano, who had both died in 2024.
[26] He has also curated the work of prominent Cuban artists in exile such as Josignacio, Agustín Fernández, Roberto Estopiñán, Baruj Salinas, Rafael Soriano, José Mijares, Rafael Consuegra, Lourdes Gómez Franca, Dionisio Perkins, Juan González, Emilio Falero, Ramon Unzueta, Adriano Nicot, Miguel Fleitas, AGalban, Luis Marín, Pedro Hernandez, Ramón Alejandro, Miguel Rodez, Mario Torroella, Pablo and Margarita Cano, as well as living contemporary Cuban artists based in Cuba such as Manuel Mendive and Roberto Fabelo.
[25][28][14] As a writer, Permuy has written published articles and analysis on Baruj Salinas,[29] Miguel Jorge,[30] Edel Alvarez Galban,[31] Duncan McClellan[32] and other artists.
[38] Permuy also contributed research and writing to the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora’s 2023 retrospective exhibition of Ramón Unzueta, an artist connected to his grandmother Marta’s later career.
[39] As an art patron, Permuy has donated works from his personal art collection by several notable artists including Josignacio, Ramon Unzueta, Mario Torroella, Adriano Nicot, Miguel Fleitas, Edel Alvarez Galban, Pedro Hernandez, Neith Nevelson, Margarita Cano, and Ramón Alejandro.
[41][28][40][14][1] Many of his donations have also notable for being the respective artist’s first inclusion into a museum permanent collection, as well as for being made in memory of his grandmother, art patron and collector Marta Permuy.
[40] The collection was unveiled in an exhibition on October 1 to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month due to the number of works by Cuban artists.
The museum released a statement announcing the donation stating “it is a gift to the residents of Miami who will now call the donated works of art their own, and will include them in their collective memory for generations.”[20][44] As a cultural writer, researcher, curator, and advocate, Permuy has publicly addressed and testified to government commissions and semi-judicial boards on the findings of his research in support of efforts to document and spotlight cultural history.