The Cuban Revolution came to an end in January 1959, as the guerrilla revolt led by Fidel Castro swept from power the US-backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. The subsequent transformation of the Caribbean island into a Communist state, aligned with the Soviet Union, would give rise to an uneasy relationship between Cuba and the United States that exists to this day, and which in the 1960s … Continue reading The Ambiguous Art of Post-Revolutionary Cuba
When Cuban photographer Alberto Korda snapped two shots of Che Guevara at a memorial service in Havana on 5 March 1960 his photographs were initially lost among thousands taken of the charismatic revolutionary leader. For seven years Korda’s preferred image of the 31-year-old, known as Guerrillero Heroico (Heroic Guerrilla), remained largely unknown. But with Guevara’s death in October 1967 the man became a legend, and … Continue reading The Iconic Image of Che Guevara
The Bay of Pigs Invasion, launched from Guatemala on 17 April 1961, was one of the most painful moments in the Cold War for the US government. The mission was led by a group of Cuban exiles known as Brigade 2506, who had been recruited in Miami and trained by the CIA. This attempt to overthrow the rule of Fidel Castro was an unmitigated disaster … Continue reading Illustrating the Bay of Pigs Invasion
After 6 years of conflict, the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista as President of Cuba on 1 January 1959 marked the end of the Cuban Revolution and the establishment of Fidel Castro’s socialist state. Sensing the imminent demise of his regime, Batista was careful to ensure his personal art collection would escape intact from the island. The collection was donated in 1957 ‘to the city and … Continue reading When Art Escaped the Cuban Revolution
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