HAVANA— For the past four years, Luis Miret Pérez—often called the international face of Cuban art—has presided over what is something of a novelty in Cuba: the art auction. This includes not only the annual Havana Auction, with the fourth one coming up on Nov. 16 at Havana’s National Hotel, but also semi-annual online auctions that involve eBay-like bidding (the next one runs Oct. 2-23).

The 48-year-old Miret is a unique kind of socialist art-entrepreneur. Since 2004, he has been director of Cuba’s oldest and best-known gallery, the Galería Habana, founded in 1963, and he represents Cuba at numerous international art fairs.

Of course, the very idea of a commercial art space in a Communist country may seem contradictory, but Cuba is rife with inconsistencies—not least, that U.S. citizens can participate in the auctions as a result of a 1988 U.S. court ruling that exempts art from the 40-year embargo against Cuban goods.

I visited Miret this spring at his gallery in the downtown Vedado district, where we talked about the Cuban art scene and its emerging market.

How did the auctions start?

Well, the online auction was an idea that was in the air. We began the online ones two years ago, with sales in May and October. The first auction was engravings, the next was photography. This past May, it was works on paper, with estimates up to €5,000 ($6,400), and the October sale will feature mostly works on paper and photography, with estimates as high as €6,000 ($8,000).

You can create an account by clicking on www.havanauction.com. Beside an image of each work is the day and the hour when bidding will close. Prices are in euros.

But it is the live auctions, which are always accompanied by a catalog, that are most important. We’re in our fourth year. Last year, more than 50 percent of the bids came in over the phone or were submitted in advance. There were people bidding from Europe and even Australia. Most of the bidders tend to be foreign.

The auctions have helped set international prices for Cuban artists. Last year, for example, Fidelio Ponce, one of our early Modernist masters, achieved a world record for his work. The sales also raise the profile of some lesser-known artists, such as Raúl Martínez, who introduced Pop art to Cuba in the early 1960s.

I think the highest price paid at the auction last fall was €85,600 ($110,000) for a 1943 Mariano Rodriguez painting, whereas a piece by the respected young sculptor Esterio Segura, which was estimated at €31,000 ($40,000), didn’t sell.

When the auctions began, they caused a furor. It was quite a surprise to the older artists that works by a younger artist like Carlos Garaicoa would sell for three times the price of theirs.

Which living artists get the highest auction prices?

Roberto Fabelo and Ernesto Estevez got top prices at the last auction. Roberto Diago and Arturo Montoto also did very well.

Where do the works come from?

Mainly from private collectors, sometimes from artists. We check provenance to make sure works don’t belong to families who have left the country but might still own them. More and more, people have been willing to put up works for auction, once they see that it is completely legal and they can keep most of the profits.

Is there actually a commercial gallery system in Cuba, or is it all government-controlled?

There are galleries that belong to commercial enterprises that are themselves governmental entities. Salaries are paid in Cuban pesos. Of course, salaries are low, but when you look at them in the framework of the situation in Cuba, the standards are different.

How many commercial galleries are there?

Maybe 12 or 15 in Havana, although there are smaller ones throughout the country.

Do the galleries operate the way they would in the U.S., for example, with art for sale, catalogs and backers?

Almost exactly the same.

Where do the galleries’ profits go?

In the case of Galería Habana, all the profits go to the National Council of Fine Arts, which pays for the Havana Bienal.