Cuba Style: Graphics from the Golden Age of Design

by Vicki Gold Levi, Steven Heller

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the national republic of Cuba. To usher in the centenary, Steven Heller and Vicki Gold Levi have collected hundreds of vintage graphics of Cuba from the 1920s to the 1959 revolution. Cuba Style recalls the days of glory when the island was a veritable resort colony for Americans and Europeans who came in search of Latino music and dancing, gambling, tropical romance, and the best beaches in the Americas. To advertise these attractions, Cubano graphistos combined elements of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Bauhaus modernism, and Vegas-style kitsch in a distinctly Cuban sensibility. Cuba Style, the first book of its kind, reproduces a treasure trove of graphics from popular magazines, packaging, posters, and indigenous products such as liquor and cigars. It is a visual history of Cuba in its golden age as well as a wellspring of capitalist extravagance, seen here through the rare graphics of its extraordinary and now lost popular culture.

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Powells.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heller's latest collection is a time capsule of Cuba as it was in its hey-day as a lively tropical resort colony for those in search of music, liquor, gambling and hot Cuban romance. Capturing the ideal golden days of their prosperous country, Cubano graphistos from the 1920s to the 1969 revolution are now beautifully represented.
Recommended by Amy

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[Rebekah Lazaridis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coffee table book. Lovely images.

[Jucel Meneses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Reference book for the style of Cuba's golden era.

[Rhonda Hankins]

A nicely produced picture book with a collection of photos of Cuban ephemera, movie posters, and the like from the 1930s to the 1950s. Not particularly substantive.