the cuban revolution: 40 years of cuban photography at galerie maurer, munich

the cuban revolution: 40 years of cuban photography
galerie maurer, munich
november 5th to december 28th, 2009


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

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 intiatiors 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
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by f. alborta trio


dos sombreros, a few armed forces, 1959
silver gelatin print on paper
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
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by unknown author


fidel at pesca hemingway, a fishing competition with hemingway on may 15th, 1960
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by tirso martinez


the armored train, a combination of two locomotives and seventeen freight and passenger cars, containing 373 soldiers
and 4million USD worth of munitions as support for batistas troops was derailed on december 30th, after che guevaras men
removed 30 feet of rails, 1958
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by unkown author


a soldier from the revolution troops is killed by a projectile exactly in the moment when tirso, as official revolution photographer
took a photo of him, 1958
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by tirso martinez