Cuban Art Collecting

Written by Gabriela Hernández Brito

In the article Phenomenon of Cuban Art , we examined the main stages and drivers of Cuban art, which are typically reviewed and debated by art historians. Coming to the special nature of art collecting, we change the angle slightly in order to look at the personality and interests of the collector himself. After all, trends and movements in art are not only determined by the supply coming from artists, but also by the demand created by the public who buy their work.

Perhaps the first approach of many collectors to Cuban art was precisely in search of traditional Cuban clichés: tobacco, rum, exotic beaches and feminine sensuality. On other occasions, this interest has been to discover the particularities of a country that lives in the 21st century under the influence of socialism as a social regime. What in many cases begins as an approach to Cuba with a political touch, ends with the discovery of its art and culture.

Most collectors who turned to Cuban art were probably mostly passive observers attracted by its new ideas, polemics of politics, culture and society. Cuban cultural politics tried to promote art that accompanied and represented the achievements of the revolution. However, Cuban art has avoided censorship by using resources that characterize it today, such as insight, double meaning, satire and irony. It is a critical art that confronts both reality and the viewer and makes him a participant in its questioning.

In the mid-1980s, the early entry of some Cuban artists into the world of major New York galleries and auction houses was provided by foreign intermediaries —  tourists, diplomats and some gallery owners who bought Cuban works at very low prices from artists, galleries and projects of the Cuban Cultural Property Foundation. The Cuban Cultural Assets Fund (El Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales) is a company belonging to the Ministry of Culture of Cuba with more than 40 years of experience. As part of its dual economic and cultural mission, over the last decade it has taken on new roles in its efforts to present, promote and market works of plastic and applied art and related interior design and decoration services at national and international level.

Some collectors sincerely believed in the patrimonial value of Cuban art, and a small sector of the émigré community showed a certain sensitivity to the subject because of its sentimental value. A few dealers and gallery owners bet on Cuban art because of the profitability of the business and the low prices compared to the rest of the world, rather than the value of the work itself.

The Havana Biennial, in my opinion, is another key factor in understanding Cuban art collecting. The Biennial, which emerged in the early 1980s, placed the island once again in the focus of global attention by staging a large-scale event and promoting the art of the region. The number of foreign visitors, especially from the United States, was increasing from one Biennial to the other. The success of this event encouraged gallerists and art dealers to visit the Cuban capital in search of artists whose works could be promoted and sold abroad.

Of particular note is the case of German entrepreneur Peter Ludwig, who visited the Third Havana Biennial in 1989 and in the following years assembled one of the largest and most important collections of contemporary Cuban art. He began acquiring works by Cuban artists and inviting them to take up residencies abroad in order to encourage their development. Ludwig also brought the Havana Biennial to Aachen, an event that made Cuban art very visible abroad. More than a fair valuation of the Cuban art market by collectors, the so-called boom in Cuban art was due to the figure of Peter Ludwig, as well as to the superb management of the auction market and the ease of dealing in the 1980s.

And now I would like to turn to the RZ Collection. I was happy to get to know Raivis Zabis and his collection, if only in absentia. but many of my Cuban artist friends know him personally and well. I was very curious to find out what exactly attracted Raivis to Cuban art. What do we know about the Cuban part of his collection?

There are currently seven Cuban artists in the RZ Collection out of a total of fifty, which I believe is no small number. Most of the works were acquired in the Tenth of the 21st century. Raivis went to Cuba, where he first met Ítalo René Expósito and Humberto Díaz. Then, through the Internet, he got to know the other artists, who later visited him at his residency in Latvia.

Let's talk a bit about each of the artists.

The works of Ítalo René Expósito have a unique personality, these are paintings full of symbolism, with allusions to existential issues. Religion, landscape, portraits, nudes and still lifes are some of his favourite themes. His work is halfway between Expressionism and Symbolism: rapid brushstrokes, vivid colours, impasto and altered perspectives full of symbols that become metaphors for a critical mind. Sexuality and eroticism are ever-present in his works, and even his religious images are full of nudes, ecstasy and characters in obvious sexual poses.

Adonis Muiño, for his part, also presents works rooted in pictorial tradition, timeless paintings that play with the viewer through symbols. In this case, the white rabbit becomes a clear allusion to Alice in Wonderland. Dark images that hide a disturbing mystical element, arising from his imaginary world, from his deepest inner concerns: the surrealness of these works contrasts with the reality and uncertainty of today's world, or, more locally, his native Cuba.

José Gabriel Capaz is another young Cuban artist in this collection. His works show a clear reference to the history of art, especially Neo-figuration and Expressionism; however, his poetics are totally anchored to the contemporary world and the current problems affecting human beings today. His paintings reflect spaces that emerge from his imagination where he configures a holocaustic reality; landscapes and characters that convey desolation and pessimism largely owing to the impressive colour violence. In Capaz's work, fire, wood and suffering faces are constant symbols that question the contemporary individual and his behaviour, the problems that surround him, dehumanisation and general discontent.

Yudel Francisco Cruz's work also belongs to the Expressionist tradition. His paintings thrill with their shocking, sarcastic and wild character, poetic power, symbolism of images, parody and sarcasm. Far from any notion of perfection, his works are characterised by vigorous strokes, blurred edges, affecting gestures and use of a chromatic palette that is both disturbing and refined. Yudel's phantasmagorical figures and frequent use of animals, such as the hyena, give his paintings a range of symbols that allude to the predatory behaviour and habits of today’s human beings.

The work of Yuniel Delgado Castillo, also influenced by Expressionist painting, is characterised by a poetics that shows a deep commitment to the social, political and cultural concerns of society. Just like an archaeologist, he delves into sensitive areas of reality and deals with delicate issues of day-to-day life. The characters he creates are somewhere between reality and fiction, nameless figures who become constructs of his most intimate concerns. Two main features characterise Yuniel's work: the colour, which on many occasions even acquires corporeality; and the line, which gives his characters a strong expressiveness in an animal-like instinct. Irony, humour, hypnotism and metaphor are all tools of his artistic expression.

While most of the artworks in this collection are paintings, there are also several sculptures and installations. Examples of these include the sculptures by Liudmila López, each representing a musical instrument and a shoe, a symbol that has been part of fashion since time immemorial. Her pieces reflect a play with meanings and forms, and these clear allusions to music and femininity are what make Liudmila's work so poetic.

Humberto Diaz work knows no limits; space interacts in a constant dialogue with architecture and the environment. His works are always linked to the surrounding reality and the problems that concern him; they are a reflection of his inner self: a mixture of chaos and stability. There is a restrained movement in his poetics. The works seem to be alive, interacting with the viewer, making him a participant in their dynamics. Humberto is interested in playing with materials, forms and structures. Sometimes it seems that the laws of physics do not exist in his work, as he defies gravity, time and matter, while at the same time he is interested in ideas of balance, false stability, fragility and tension, generating diverse concern for the common phenomena of our daily life that often go unnoticed by the public.

What unites these works by Cuban artists in the RZ Collection, in my opinion, is precisely the diversity of their ideas. As in the entire history of Cuban art, each stage is shaped by different interests and personalities, and this small example is no exception; artists of different generations, using different ways of expression, share their particular vision of the world.

When I asked Raivis about his interest in Cuban art, he told me that he was deeply impressed by Cubans' openness, cordiality, mutual help and active social life; their ability to live for today, to enjoy the simplest things; their incredible creativity and strong charisma, confidence in themselves and in the strength of their talent; Cubans remain, in the hardest times and in very difficult circumstances, extremely cheerful and sunny people, full of creative ideas.

It is incredibly interesting to discuss art, especially when you talk to someone who is in love with the art of your compatriots. I know from the interview with Raivis that the artist's personality is very important to him when choosing works of art, and one of the things he is always interested in is the theme of inspiration.

What do we know about inspiration? It is a state of ultimate excitement that activates all emotional and physical forces. In a state of creative inspiration, one is carried along by a flow, which is accompanied by visions and revelations. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato, reflecting on the state of inspiration, called it ex stasis, going beyond oneself, entering the transcendent world. To describe creative inspiration, artists use the same words that describe any subjective experience of inspiration: ecstasy, euphoria, spiritual joy, love, and a state of inner freedom.

In my opinion, what Raivis said about Cubans, what most foreigners who come to Cuba notice — the temperament, character, lifestyle and self-expression of Cubans — is very similar to the way a state of inspiration is usually described.

No matter how the character and lifestyle of Cubans may have evolved, be it due to climatic, geographical, historical or other conditions, it is impossible to overlook their unique nature. Could the special power of inspiration in the air of the Island of Freedom be the main reason that attracts collectors' attention to Cuban art?

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