Mel Green was born in Beaufort County, South Carolina in 1934 and later joined the army in 1954. While on leave in Europe, Green became interested in the human suffering he witnessed there compared to his own experience as an African-American man in the United States, which sparked the beginning of his illustrious painting career. Upon his honorable discharge from the army in 1955, Green moved to New York City to study art. While there he attended the American Art School, the Art Students League and the School of Visual Arts, where he received a BFA in 1959. Green eventually settled in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1967 to pursue painting full-time.
His work is included in private collections and US Departments of State Embassies throughout the world, and he has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions. Green passed away in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2007.
