Synopses & Reviews
The cultural and architectural history of Havana are evoked in inspired photographs that show the remarkable variety of the city's styles: the academic classicism of aristocratic homes, rococo residential interiors, art deco and art nouveau buildings, the famous El Tropicana, and the stylistic amalgam of the Columbus Cemetery. With text in English and Spanish.
Synopsis
Havana is that most beautiful and, to an American eye, most mysterious of Caribbean cities. A city, Jorge Rigau writes, "upholstered in columns, cushioned by arcades." In numerous trips to Havana, Rigau and co-author Nancy Stout were granted unprecedented access to the city's private homes and public and private structures. Here they reveal their discoveries. Captured in unique color and black-and-white photographs, Havana dazzles as a spectacular amalgam of styles: the academic classicism of aristorcratic homes, rococo residential interiors and exteriors, art deco and art nouveau houses and larger buildings, the slender columns and sweeping roofs of the famous El Tropicana nightclub, and the International Style housing. Then there are the lush Tropical Gardens and the poignant Columbus Cemetery where all of these styles are evoked together. Essays on the city's fascinating cultural and architectural history and candid photos of habaneros round out this deeply affectionate tour.