Julio de Diego (1900–1979) was a Spanish-born American painter, sculptor, and designer known for blending Surrealism with theatrical and folkloric imagery. Born in Madrid, he studied art in Spain before moving to Paris and later settling in the United States, where he became part of the New York art scene. His work often features masked figures, performers, and dreamlike compositions influenced by Spanish culture and modernist experimentation. De Diego was also active in stage and costume design, collaborating with dance and theater productions, which informed the dramatic, stylized quality of his paintings. Over his career, he exhibited widely in the U.S. and developed a distinctive visual language combining European avant-garde influences with American modernism.