Manuel was born in Havana, Cuba and studied fine art painting at the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts. He currently works out of his own studio and printmaking workshop in Florida. Manuel has exhibited widely in the United States, Cuba, Canada, Spain, Mexico and Ecuador. He has participated in over 80 group shows as well as six one-man shows. His work can be found in many private and corporate collections such as The Hilton, Coconut Grove Hotel, Holiday Inns, Del Monte Corporation, Capital Bank, Xerox Corporation, Bank of America, Suchman Development Corporation, The Burger King Corporation, and The Marriott Hotels.