Born in Santiago de Cuba in 1964, Grettel Arrate graduated from la Academia Provincial de Artes Plasticas Jose Joaquin Tejada in Santiago de Cuba in 1983 with a degree in Painting and Drawing. In 1990 she graduated from La Universidad de Oriente with a masters degree in Art History. She is a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), and the Association of Publicists of Cuba. Grettel has had more than 14 personal art exhibits in galleries and museums in Cuba and abroad. Her art is found in private collections in over 15 countries.