Author Description

From 1875 to 1945, the arts and architecture flourished in Cuba. The passing of power from the old patrician class to the emerging middle class together with the emergence of the free enterprise system contributed to a vibrant exchange of ideas and opportunities between the island and the United States. When Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1899, its quest to achieve its own national identity, especially in the arts, took on a special poignancy. Cuban artists and architects initially looked to the distant colonial past as a way to begin a new expression of Cuban culture. Meanwhile, U.S. architects were designing an impressive range of Art Deco and Streamline Modern buildings in Havana. These 13 essays on Cuban art and architecture are organized into four groups: 1875 to 1910, 1911 to 1930, painting, and 1931 to 1945.