Jose Fuster and other Cuban art

One of the highlights of my trip to Cuba with the UCLA Alumni Association was our visit to the home and community of Jose Fuster.  (No, I didn't attend UCLA except for a few senior extension courses and hospital stays.  I am a proud Iowa State and Tulane University alum.  I just paid $50 to join the UCLA alumni association so I could travel with these great people.)

Jose Fuster was born in Villa Clara province of Cuba in 1946.  He developed skills as a painter, ceramicist, sculptor and engraver.  He brought that to his suburban Havana fishing village of Jaimanitas and has transformed it.  He began with his own studio-workshop in 1994 and remodeled a whole neighborhood with the help of neighbors.  He was inspirited by the work of Antoni Gaudi.  His work seeks to honor the catalan architect.  Here are some photo's of our visit and lunch to Casa Fuster and Fusterlandand.  Our guide was one of his sons.

 Here is the entrance to Fuster's studio-workshop-home.

 The Olympus honors the five Cubans who have led the revolution:  Ramon, Gerado, Rene, Antonio and Fernando who were incarcerated.  This was inaugurated on the tenth anniversary of their incarceration.

 The designs of some of Fuster's art has led to people calling him the Picasso of the Caribbean.

 La Caridad del Cobre, Patron Saint of Cuba and other saints are depicted on the walls.

 A Fuster son introduces us to the complex.

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 Fuster's paintings and tiles 

 Looking over to a neighbor's house 

One notices the similarity to the work of Simon Rodia who created the Watts Towers in L.A.

 The Houses in the neighborhood

 On a wall about a block away is the mural of the Granma, the boat the Fidel, Che, and others took from Mexico to Cuba in 1956 to join the revolution.

 Here are some neigbhor youth gathering along the wall

Yes, cats fly in Fusterland

The Havana Home of Ernest Hemingway where he would write on his typewriter while standing up.

 Trophies of his hunting

 His boat

A peaceful walk on his property

 More auto art

 Remember the Studebaker?

 The former Presidential Palace is being renovated.  The Castro's refused to live there and it has been turned into a Museum of the Revolution.

 Notice the bullet holes in the former presidential palace when revolutionaries were coming after Batista and his government in the 1950's.  They did not succeed on this occasion.

Some revolutionary art

 Former dictator Batista and President Reagan

 They don't seem to like our Bush presidents

Outside of the museum

Interesting art on the walls of a restaurant

 We rode South across the island to the Bay of Pigs, sight of the 1961 failed CIA backed Cuban refugee invasion.  We visited a museum there.  Fifteen hundred Cubans refugee invaders were captured.

 They have brought in beautiful white sand and made it into a resort area for Cubans.

 Interesting painting of Che and children by Frank Iraola, 2014

 In Cienfuego, we were treated by a concert from Coro Cantores De Cienfuegos, a coral group that has traveled to many countries.  Nelson, our guide is shown with them.

The beautiful central plaza of the city of Cienfuegos.

Art that I admired while walking around the plaza

This is by an artist in Trinidad where we stayed for our last two night is Cuba.

 The beautiful altar in the church on the plaza in Trinidad

More colorful paintings

 This home is also a gallery

These old cars need lots of fixing.

Street scenes in Trinidad.  The city is a UNESCO identified location which has helped to preserve it.

Navigating the cobblestone streets of Trinidad

 People enjoying the main plaza in Trinidad

More views of the Trinidad Plaza.  The blue building on the right is where we enjoyed our last dinner in Cuba.

 A Santeria altar in Trinidad

A pretty courtyard

 Our host, Julio Munoz,  in his bed and breakfast.  He is a former electrical engineer who quit his job and turned his beautiful home that he inherited from his grand father into a bed and breakfast and a gallery for his beautiful photography.  His private enterprise pays taxes to the government.  His architect daughter to his right, and his wife help run the business with two employees.  He is also a Horse Whisperer and conducts horseback riding excursions.  You can find out more about "Trinidad's most dynamic and charismatic personalities," at www.trinidadphoto.com.

 Here is part of our group at our last supper.

 And here is the group that serenaded us during our dinner

 Jackie our UCLA guide in the pink hat helping to corral our group

Here I am saying last goodbyes to Julie, Nelson and Alex.  Thank you all!