Arts and Literature of Cuba

Freer Expression

By the late 1980s, the artistic environment in Cuba was chang-

ing again. As the island’s economy sputtered and then col-

lapsed, the government withdrew financial support for artists.

With the end of government sponsorship came greater

artistic freedom—though making enough money to survive

was obviously a concern. Fortunately for Cuban artists, the

government’s aggressive promotion of international tourism

during the 1990s—after decades of relative isolation—helped

open up a market for the sale of artwork created on the island.

In the years since, a vibrant and freewheeling art scene has

developed in Cuba. As is the case elsewhere in the world, strug-

gling artists vastly outnumber those who’ve made a mark. But

in Cuba a moderately successful artist can make a lot more

money than the average worker.

Among the first to cash in on the new artistic environment

were Los Carpinteros (“the Carpenters”), a cooperative found-

ed in 1992 by three art school classmates: Dagoberto Rodríguez

(1969– ), Alexandre Arrechea (1970– ), and Marco Antonio

Castillo (1971– ). Arrechea left the co-op in 2003. Los

Carpinteros’ work—which is now in the permanent collections

of prestigious museums around the world—often combines

architecture, design, and sculpture.

Other artists emblematic of Cuba’s diverse contemporary

art scene include Manuel Mendive and Wilfredo Prieto. In his

paintings, sculptures, carvings, and mixed-media pieces,

Mendive (1944– ) often draws inspiration from Santeria.

Prieto (1978– ) is a conceptual artist whose piquant humor

sometimes targets the Cuban regime. For example, his 1999