Revolution of Forms: Cuba's Forgotten Art Schools

by John A. Loomis

"A revolution of forms is a revolution of essentials."- Jos Mart, Cuban intellectual and independence leader . Although the current surge of interest in Cuba has extended to that country's architecture, few know that the most outstanding architectural achievement of the Cuban Revolution stands neglected just outside Havana. The Escuelas Nacionales de Arte (National Art Schools), constructed from 1961 to 1965, were the result of an educational program initiated by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara soon after the Revolution of 1959. The architects they commissioned created an organic complex of brick and terra-cotta Catalan vaulted structures that reflected the optimism and exuberance of the period. The schools attempted to reinvent architecture, just as the Revolution hoped to reinvent society. However, even before construction was completed, the schools fell out of official favor and were subjected to an attack that resulted in their subsequent "disappearance." An ideological campaign branded them politically incorrect, a bourgeois luxury that was not in keeping with the Revolution. The buildings fell into disuse and, abandoned to the jungle, were literally overgrown. Now, almost 40 years later, Cuba is beginning to recognize and reclaim these significant works of architecture. Revolution of Forms investigates the history and politics surrounding the creation of these structures as well as their subsequent abandonment. The text is accompanied by archival photographs, plans, and images of the present condition of these structures.

Genres: Architecture, Art, History, Design, Nonfiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know of no other buildings in the world so imbued with thought and ideology, the briefest zeitgeist. Then add the wabi sabi of their current abandoned state and they become achingly beautiful. This book is the more intellectual partner to the documentary "Unfinished Spaces" (on Netflix)which I saw before reading, even though the book was published first. The doc is a good cultural and visual introduction to this more in-depth written analysis. I was so taken in by this paradise lost I didn't even want to return the book to the library!

[Lorenzo Diaz campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Las escuelas de arte de cuba, vanguardia postmodernista
El más notable logro arquitectónico de la revolución cubana ha vuelto a ver la luz después del abandono casi total. Un libro, el arma más potente de las verdaderas revoluciones, las ha rescatado del oblivio
Si algo me gusta de leer es que todos los días aprendo algo nuevo, descubro mundos que hasta entonces me eran ignotos y debo de confesar que apenas hace unas semanas mi amigo Marcos Betanzos me presentó al arquitecto, de origen cubano, Ricardo Porro. Sediento de conocer más me hice del libro que es materia de esta reseña, un verdadera joya.
La fuerza de de la revolución cubana vertió sobre muchos cauces, uno de ellos concluyó en la constricción de un conjunto arquitectónico que albergó las escuelas de arte en un barrio de la Habana. Tres arquitectos, liderados por Porro, crearon cinco escuelas de ejemplar dimensión arquitectónica. John A. Loomis ha dedicado ya casi un par de décadas a estudiarlas, a comprenderlas y a visitarlas en la Habana. Cuando finalmente publicó un detallado estudio sobre sus orígenes, su estado de conservación y sobre todo su trascendencia histórica el mundo se conmovió. Su publicación original llegó a las mismísimas manos del Comandante Castro, el cual se dio cuenta que los edificios debería de ser rescatados. Una segunda revolución que trae a la luz un valiosísimo patrimonio.
Loomis y otros estudiosos se atreven a nombrar a las Escuelas de Arte de la Habana como el primer ejemplo de verdadero postmodernismo en las Américas, construcciones que datan de los años 60 del siglo pasado. Sin duda un hito que todo interesado en la arquitectura debe de conocer a detalle.