Public Art and Architecture from Around the World

Tag: Cuba

  • Clara Porset

    Clara Porset

    Nespresso is running an ad for Cuban Coffee. On Sunday June 26, 2016, they took out a full page ad using Hemingway’s home in Havana as the perfect backdrop. There in the photo were two exquisite Clara Porset chairs. I thought it time to talk about her. Clara María del Carmen Magdalena Porset y Dumás…

  • Casa de Velazquez

    Casa de Velazquez

    Parque Cespedes Santiago de Cuba Diego Valazquez was the first governor of Cuba.  He was a cruel despot by all accounts, but his home, built in 1515 still stands as the oldest colonial-era house on the island. The home is of the Mudéjar style (or Hispanic-Moorish).  This style is characterized by its balconies, carved ceilings…

  • Parque del Ajedrez or Chess Park

    Parque del Ajedrez or Chess Park

    Santo Tomás and Enramada Streets Santiago de Cuba This small corner park was designed by American architect Walter Betancourt. Betancourt was born in 1932 in New York, son of Cuban parents that had escaped to Florida during the Cuban War for Independence. As a child of Cubans, Betancourt vacationed often in Cuba. After graduating with a…

  • Clouds in the Mountains

    Clouds in the Mountains

    Santiago de Cuba In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures…

  • Jose Marti by Alberto Lescay

    Jose Marti by Alberto Lescay

    Santiago de Cuba José Julián Martí Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) is a Cuban national hero.  Martí is considered one of the great turn-of-the-century Latin American intellectuals. His written works consist of a series of poems, essays, letters, lectures, a novel, and even a children’s magazine. He wrote for numerous Latin American…

  • El Pelu

    El Pelu

    Baracoa, Cuba This is El Pelú sculpted by Ramon Dominque Gainza. El Pelú was a native of Coruña, Spain named Francisco Rodríguez. There is very little known about him other than at some point in his life he ended up in Baracoa, Cuba.  He apparently wandered the streets preaching until sometime around 1896 when his…

  • With Love and Respect for Moebius

    Clarion Alley Mission District *   This beauty is by BODE, CUBA and Stan153. With Love and Respect for Moebius. Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French comics artist who earned worldwide fame, predominantly under the pseudonym Mœbius, and to a lesser extent Gir (used for the Blueberry series). He has been described as the most influential bandes…

  • Lilac Alley

    Mission District – San Francisco Lilac Alley Lilac Street runs parallel to Mission between 24th and 26th Streets.  It is one of those alleys that serves no purpose other than the backs of businesses and the entry to garages.  Several organizations use the buildings in this area as canvases.  I counted the Lilac Mural Project…