Che Guevara becoming President of the National Bank, in conference with Waldo Medina and Felipe Pasos on November 26, 1959
silver gelatin print on paper. Photo by Tirso Martinez
The Cuban Revolution: 40 years of Cuban Photography
Galerie Maurer, Munich
November 5th to December 28th, 2009
Presented to the public for the first time, this collection of approximately 350 vintage photographs taken between 1940 and 1980 capture the Revolution of Cuba - its beginnings, the realization and the life after - mainly picturing initiators of the revolution such as Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Camillo Cienfuegos.
The history of the revolution is not supposed to be described completely. The photographs show the routine life of Cuba at the time juxtaposed against the extreme circumstances and cruelties of war, and the unbroken will of the people. Today, the imagery is being evaluated differently from the time at which they were produced. They are not only considered a document of that period, but are also being seen as creative works of the photographer, bringing them into the rank of art.
The photo collection contains works of following photographers: Alberto Korda, Tirso Martinez, Osvaldo Salas, Raul Corrales, Jorge Oller, Severo, Delio Valdes, Alborta Trigo, Sara Kamay, Osvaldo Ozon, Jose Agraz Solans, Fernando Lezcano, Hernandez Toledo, Enrique llanos, Mario Collodo, Aristide Reyes, Marino Bueno, Arias, Coya, Panchito Cano, Miguel lavilla, Jose Lorenzo, Garbalaza, Meneses, Alejandro Herera, Gallardo, Armando Morales, Naranjo etc.
Che Guevara shot to death in Vallegrande, Bolivia on October 9th, 1967. Photo by F. Alborta Trio
Dos Sombreros, A Few Armed Forces, 1959. Photo by Raul Corrales
After the victory in Habana, a rebel is sitting in the baby carriage of ex-dictator Fulgencio Batista’s youngest daughter.
Batista escaped in the early morning on January 1st, 1959 with his family and a few ministers to the Dominican Republic, 1959. Photo by Unknown Author
