HAVANA ART TOUR Where to find art in Havana?

By Myru Hernandez

Bahamasair is celebrating a few iconic moments in 2023. It is the 50th anniversary of the airline, which coincides with the nation’s 50th independence anniversary. Also, this year, the airline is celebrating 23 years of flying to Havana, Cuba. That is right, time flies, and so does Bahamasair. A great way to celebrate with The Bahamas’ national flag carrier is to visit the beautiful places and destinations serviced by the airline. Allow me to be your flight attendant for flight UP 211, destination Havana, Cuba. Get ready because today, as soon as you land, I will take you on the art tour that the art lovers would absolutely enjoy. I will call this tour Havana Top Art Picks.

Let us start with Cuban contemporary art. In this visit to Galería Máxima, located in Avenida de Bélgica (Monserrate) esq. off Tejadillo corner, you will be amazed. This gallery is considered to have the best pieces of contemporary Cuban art. The collection allows the gallery to be renowned due to its solid inventory. It is now considered one of the most promising galleries on the island, as visitors and locals highly attend it.

While in the area, you will see a unique black building known as The Merger Art . Located in Avenida de Bélgica (Monserrate) between Empedrado and Tejadillo Sts., and next to Galería Máxima, The Merger Art is a contemporary space created through the collaboration of Cuban artists Alain Pino Hernandez,

Mario Miguel González Fernández, and Niels Molerio Luis. Many of the pieces available are greatly influenced by the present economic, social, and political conditions in Cuba. Creativity is the spirit of this excellent art space. Do you like craft work? Galería Manos is what you are looking for. You can visit Galería Manos, located in 411 Obispo St. off Aguacate and Compostela Sts. This beautiful art space has a variety of handmade souvenirs, such as dolls and masks, and handmade art that vividly depicts the Afro-Cuban culture. Cuba, like many countries in the Western world, has been influenced by African cultures for centuries. Galería Manos has art that can attest to that.

Our fourth stop will be Open Studio Molina. This art gallery is in 114B Villegas St. off O’Reilly and San Juan de Dios Sts. Habana Vieja, known to many as Old Havana. Open Studio is the space where both visitors and locals often visit to meet with young Cuban artist Marcel Molina Martinez, find pieces made by the artist, and talk with the artist about his creation.

Another “hot” art spot is Jorge Gil Estudio Galeria, located on Cuba St. No. 467 off Amargura and Teniente Rey Sts. In this distinctive space, each piece is as unique as its creator, Jorge Gil. While it is puzzling to imagine that a piece of jewellery so delicate and minimalist and at the same time, elegant and beautiful, can be made from hard metal, Jorge Gil affords art lovers the opportunity to see art to its fullest expression, through his work. The excellent treatment and the professionalism of the gallery owner makes visitors feel that it is worth owning the artist’s “original piece.”

We will now visit a space designed to delight art lovers. I present to you Obispo Art Gallery, located in No. 453 esquina Aguacate (corner). The space is a contemporary art gallery with two locations, branded as “OAG.” Obispo Art Gallery, in Havana, Cuba, opened its doors in 1994, with the exclusive representation of Ernesto Villanueva, Cuban-Spanish artist. The second “OAG” is situated in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, and opened to the public tin 2019.

If you are looking for the entire Cuban art experience, I would like to take you to the western end of Havana to visit the one and only La Fábrica de Arte Cubano. This beautiful art gallery and club complex in Havana, Cuba, is known as The Cuban Art Factory La Fábrica’s gallery and stage are sitting in a spacious area inside of what used to be a cooking oil factory and has gained notoriety as one of Havana’s premier nightlife centres and art galas.

As you can see, Cuba is both a treat for art lovers and a dream come true for culture connoisseurs. The nerdy, the gifted, the talented, the famous, and all artists can find a space to showcase what they do.

Spaces like La Fábrica on 26 St. off 11 and 13 Sts., and Galería Ernesto Jesús on Habana St. esquina Peña Pobre (corner), a beautiful colonial architecture, offer artists a space to showcase their masterpieces and have given many creative souls a voice through art.

As this is the end of our art tour, I would like to thank you for coming along. I am sure we will have the opportunity to visit many other great art spaces. The reality is that art to Cubans is like air to humans. You can spend days just looking at wonderful creations, masterpieces, handcrafted bags, belts and shoes, sculptures, jewellery, paintings and more. There is no limit to creativity.

Now that you know some of the places where art can be purchased in Havana, Cuba, the real question is: Will Bahamasair cargo services to Cuba be in full operation when you are ready to import your art pieces from that nation? I cannot wait for that to happen; meanwhile, how about celebrating on this trip with Bahamasair on the occasion of the airline’s 50th anniversary!

Join me and let us celebrate!!! UA