Havana Style (Icons)

Book Description

Photographed by Gianni Basso/Vega Mg, these images capture the spirit and atmosphere of a city whose colorful patina and soulful people are the essence of its charm.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Book! Great Pictures!.......2007-09-13

I have always been a fan of Cuban culture and this book gives you the Cuban color palate to enjoy!

The Havana Guide: Modern Architecture 1925-1965

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Guide
The Havana Guide - perhaps a guide to paradise lost?

The Havana Guide: Modern Architecture 1925-1965
Eduardo L. Rodriguez
Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568982100

Book Description

While Havana's colonial mansions have recently received worldwide attention, the immense wealth of modern architecture in Cuba has long been neglected.
The first half of the twentieth century was a culturally rich era for Cuba, a time in which the architects of the Modern Movement sought to define an identity for this Caribbean nation. However, within a few years after the revolution of 1959, design ideology became allied with the mass-production aesthetic promoted by the Soviets, and many Cuban architects fled to seek creative and political freedom abroad.
The Havana Guide is the first to recognize the enormous importance of Cuba's modern architecture. It features over 200 structures, including hotels, churches, theaters, social clubs, and private residences. Street maps for all neighborhoods as well as archival and contemporary photographs supplement the texts. Also included is a history of modern architecture in Cuba. This is an essential source book of modern architecture for travelers and architects alike

Customer Reviews:

Guide.......2007-03-09

This book is quite helpful. As an architecture student working on a hypothetical embassy in Cuba, this book gave context to my building and showed the vast array of Cuban architecture.

The Havana Guide - perhaps a guide to paradise lost?.......2005-04-15

This book focuses on the various works of prominent Cuban architects from the 1920's until the beginning of the now almost five-decades-long Castro reign. The most recent creation depicted is from 1965; we can safely assume that probably all of the architects portrayed in this book went into exile in the sixties (author Eduardo Rodriguez does not make mention of a single one staying there).

The author still lives in Cuba, and rather than condemning the architects he writes about for having left the island, as is customary from Cubans who stayed there, he laments the loss of their talents. Photographs and blueprints are surprisingly plentiful and very interesting, however he is not clear upon whether they are recent photographs (on some it's obvious, because of the decay apparent on the building), or if they were taken at the time of completion. He is also inconsistent in informing readers of the present uses of said buildings (many homes are now diplomatic guest houses or residences, some government buildings are identified by the use given to them when Batista was in power. As an example, one is identified as the Lottery Building, an institution that Castro abolished shortly after taking power). He does let us know the present names of former high-class suburbs (those with anglo names such as Country Club or Vanderbilt were re-named by the Castroites).

The book makes evident what a diverse society Havana had at one time, as opposed to feeding you the oft-repeated stereotype of said city simply being a haven for casinos and mob-controlled hotels. It gives you an idea of what could have been, in light of the fact that these architects were very prolific at the time of the Revolution and that, by the author's own admission, there has been very little construction in Cuba since 1959.

Do not assume that The Havana Guide is solely for architects, however. It is also a book that will be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in Cuba. It may also serve as a trip back in time for those who lived in Havana and were able to see these buildings first-hand.

Revolution of Forms: Cuba's Forgotten Art Schools

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Lovely..
Best Source on The 5 Schools
An intensely emotional story of passion against bureaucracy
Informative and well researched
Las Escuelas de Artes: obra emblematica.

Revolution of Forms: Cuba's Forgotten Art Schools
John A. Loomis
Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568981570

Book Description

"A revolution of forms is a revolution of essentials."-JosŽ Mart’, Cuban intellectual and independence leader.

Although the current surge of interest in Cuba has extended to that country's architecture, few know that the most outstanding architectural achievement of the Cuban Revolution stands neglected just outside Havana.

The Escuelas Nacionales de Arte (National Art Schools), constructed from 1961 to 1965, were the result of an educational program initiated by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara soon after the Revolution of 1959. The architects they commissioned created an organic complex of brick and terra-cotta Catalan vaulted structures that reflected the optimism and exuberance of the period. The schools attempted to reinvent architecture, just as the Revolution hoped to reinvent society. However, even before construction was completed, the schools fell out of official favor and were subjected to an attack that resulted in their subsequent "disappearance." An ideological campaign branded them politically incorrect, a bourgeois luxury that was not in keeping with the Revolution. The buildings fell into disuse and, abandoned to the jungle, were literally overgrown. Now, almost 40 years later, Cuba is beginning to recognize and reclaim these significant works of architecture.

Revolution of Forms investigates the history and politics surrounding the creation of these structures as well as their subsequent abandonment. The text is accompanied by archival photographs, plans, and images of the present condition of these structures.

Customer Reviews:

Lovely.........2006-05-31

I used to live in Havana and went there recently three years ago. There, I took some tours of the art schools and it was rather sad the condition of the buildings.

This is the only book that has documents on these very special places.

Sincerely,

Alfonso Lopez Cousiño

Best Source on The 5 Schools.......2001-11-16

This book is the best source out there on these schools. It covers the politics of the time in Cuba, the design process, and all of the schools. I only wish it had more detailed information on the catalan vault system. There are great photos and floorplans, but no sections or construction drawings.

An intensely emotional story of passion against bureaucracy.......2001-01-17

If you are willing to tackle a superbly written book on the architecture of these buildings, you will find that the real art in this book is Loomis' telling of the intensely human story of the people who created them. Through the many details of Loomis' excellent research, the reader becomes part of the early days of post-revolutionary Cuba; first feeling the inspiration of the creation of these uniquely beautiful buildings and then the despair at their inevitable fall from grace. Not incidentally, the book also is an excellent reference on bureaucratic destruction (more powerful than a wrecking ball...)

If John had only given a little more information on how the Catalan arch can be constructed without scaffolding, the book would have been perfect.

I'm now considering reading "Ay, Cuba! : A Socio-Erotic Journey" (by Andrei Codrescu) as a chaser, but contrast of styles could cause permanent neural fracturing...

Informative and well researched.......1999-08-07

I think that John A. Loomis was very through in his research of Cuba's forgotten Art Schools. He put a lot of time and work into making this book as informative and educational as possible. The comparisons of the art schools in the 60's to how they are today is remarkable. He shows how over time the once beautiful and rapidly developing Cuba has been forgotten and now is quickly deteriorating and losing it's beauty. I think that John A. Loomis wrote this book with a lot of knowledge and understanding of Cuba and it's art schools.

Las Escuelas de Artes: obra emblematica........1999-01-18

La tarde del 3 enero de 1961, Fidel y el Che jugaron una partida de golf en el exclusivo Country Club de La Habana. El hecho hubiera sido irrelevante si no es porque, conmovidos por el esplendoroso paisaje y el bien cuidado campo y euforicos por la campana de alfabetizacion que habian iniciado dos dias antes, a los dirigentes se les ocurrio la idea de que en ese mismo lugar se deberia construir unas escuelas internacionales de artes, calificadas luego por Fidel como "La mas hermosa academia de artes de todo el mundo" (Noticias de Hoy, 4 mayo 1963). El propio Fidel escogio al arquitecto Ricardo Porro y fue Selma Diaz quien le llevo la encomienda. La historia la recoge John A. Loomis en su polemico libro "Revolution of Forms: Cuba's Forgotten Art Schools".

Treinta y ocho anos despues de esa partida, las Escuelas de Artes de Porro, Gottardi y Garatti siguen siendo objeto de grandes polemicas. Loomis, en su apologia las reivindica como la obra emblematica de la revolucion cubana. Arquitectura Cuba dedica su numero 377 a Ricardo Porro y sus escuelas de Artes Plasticas y de Danza Moderna y el numero siguiente (378) a Roberto Gottardi y su Escuela de Arte Dramatico.

Book Description

Nationalizing Blackness uses the music of the 1920s and 1930s to examine Cuban society as it begins to embrace Afrocuban culture. Moore examines the public debate over âdegenerate Africanismsâ associated with comparas or carnival bands; similar controversies associated with son music; the history of blackface theater shows; the rise of afrocubanismo in the context of anti-imperialist nationalism and revolution against Gerardo Machado; the history of cabaret rumba; an overview of poetry, painting, and music inspired by Afrocuban street culture; and reactions of the black Cuban middle classes to afrocubanismo. He has collected numerous illustrations of early twentieth-century performers in Havana, many included in this book.

Nationalizing Blackness represents one of the first politicized studies of twentieth-century culture in Cuba. It demonstrates how music can function as the center of racial and cultural conflict during the formation of a national identity.

Customer Reviews:

Interested in African-Latin music? Read this!.......2000-10-20

This book needed to be written. It is the story of Afro-Cuban musicians in the pre-revolutionary atmosphere of commercialism and imperialism from the US. Part of the story revolves around the racism of that era, which existed as well in the genres of big band and jazz. And part of the story revolves around the music of that time period--some of the richest and most complex in Latin American history. If you want to understand the use of African cultural identifications in popular music, this is a good place to start. It fills in some of the history which led up to the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon today.

A must read !.......1999-10-22

An important work that sheds light and understanding of the struggles and triumphs of Afrocubans and their culture. Robin D. Moore takes you into a fascinating journey, with scholarly research and in depth analysis, of the racial experience during a period of tremendous changes and unrest in Cuba. This work is an enormous contribution to our understanding of this period between 1920 through 1940...Bravo!

an important work about race and music in cuba.......1999-01-09

Robin Moore's work is an important contribution to cuban studies. Combining archival research and interviews, Moore traces the arc of afrocuban cultural expression in the early 20th century from dispised cultural form to national symbol, a process, moore notes, which has interesting parallels to the United States. Scholarly but readable, this book is destined to become a standard work in cuban musicology and contributes to cultural, ethnic, and popular music studies.

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Havana Deco
Alejandro G. Alonso , Pedro Contreras , and Martino Fagiuoli
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393732320

Book Description

An unparalleled tour of the Art Deco-style architecture, interiors, decoration, and art objects of Havana.

Cuban artists, open to the winds of change and to outside influences, filtered the movement born in Paris through the dazzling beauty of Caribbean nature and made the art their own. Exteriors and interior spaces, the graphic artists who spearheaded Art Deco's popularity, monumental sculpture, and the contributions of painters are explored here in rich detail. 300 color illustrations.

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Old Havana
Guillermo Cabrera Infante , and Humberto Werneck
Manufacturer: Dorea Books and Art (DBA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Havana's soul through its architecture

Havana, La Habana
Nancy Stout , and Jorge Rigau
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0847817822
Release Date: 1994-11-15

Book Description

The cultural and architectural history of Havana are evoked in inspired photographs that show the remarkable variety of the city's styles: the academic classicism of aristocratic homes, rococo residential interiors, art deco and art nouveau buildings, the famous El Tropicana, and the stylistic amalgam of the Columbus Cemetery. With text in English and Spanish.

Customer Reviews:

Havana's soul through its architecture.......1998-10-05

Excellent book on Havana's architecture from Colonial times to the present. It is a very well structured book with a camera eye that gets deeply into the soul of the city.

This book takes us to a living tour of Havana's dwellings from "Palaces to Huts" showing through beautiful and insightful details the diversity of styles that characterizes the organized anarchy of this city.

Book Description

Since i freed itself in 1898 from the Spanish domination, Havana never ceased to expand throughout the continuous creation of districts away from the old city: El Cerrom El Vedado, Miramar, Marianao, La Vibora, Cubanacan, and last but not least, on the other side of the stunning bay, La Havana del Este.

Queens of Havana: The Amazing Adventures of Anacaona, Cuba's Legendary All-Girl Dance Band

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Queens of Havana: The Amazing Adventures of Anacaona, Cuba's Legendary All-Girl Dance Band
Alicia Castro , and Ingrid Kummels
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0802118569

Book Description

The 1930s saw Havana undergoing a seismic cultural renaissance. At night in the aires libres (open air cafes), tourists and foreign investors rubbed shoulders with the likes of Ernest Hemingway as they sipped cocktails, cavorted with Cuban beauties, and listened to suggestive melodies from Havana’s unmatched musical community. It was rare for women to attend, and unheard of for them to perform. But when greengrocer Matias Castro, father of thirteen, goes bankrupt, his eldest daughter has the idea of starting an all-girl band with her sisters—an outrageous idea in macho Cuba, but a surefire money maker. Every evening, as the rum began to flow, Anacaona took to the stage to let rip—jazz, mambo, rumba, and cha-cha—their infectious rhythms, cheeky lyrics, and sheer sex appeal conquer their audiences’ hearts. In this evocative memoir, saxophonist Alicia Castro, now in her eighties, looks back on the Havana of yesterday and the dazzling career of the dance band, from concerts in Paris and New York, to appearances with Dizzy Gillespie, Celia Cruz, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway. Spirited and conversational, Queens of Havana is a touching piece of hidden history guaranteed to set your heart racing and get your toes tapping!

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Salsa!: Havana Heat, Bronx Beat
Hernando Calvo Ospina
Manufacturer: Latin America Bureau (Research and Action)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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