Havana Deco [Hardcover]

Alejandro G. Alonso (Author), Pedro Contreras (Author), Martino Fagiuoli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2007

An unparalleled tour of the Art Deco-style architecture, interiors, decoration, and art objects of Havana, this colorful book shows the work of Cuban artists, open to the winds of change and to outside influences, who filtered the movement born in Paris through the dazzling beauty of Caribbean nature and made the art their own.

Exteriors and interior spaces, the graphic artists who spearheaded Art Deco's popularity, monumental sculpture, and the contributions of painters are explored here in rich detail. 300 color photographs

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sensational buildings, interiors, and furnishings prove, Cuban artists and architects sexed up the Art Deco movement with Caribbean sultriness. (Elle Décor) REVIEW: Read, admire and weep, especially when you come to photographs...of Centro Habana...so beautiful underneath the grime and decay. (The Miami Herald) REVIEW: A rich, amusing, and eye-catching collection of buildings and various architectural details....this is eye-dessert of the best kind. (The Morning News) REVIEW: A fascinating document of the collision of a Modernist style with regional character. (Traditional Building, Annabel Hsin)

Sensational buildings, interiors, and furnishings prove, Cuban artists and architects sexed up the Art Deco movement with Caribbean sultriness.

Review

Sensational buildings, interiors, and furnishings prove, Cuban artists and architects sexed up the Art Deco movement with Caribbean sultriness.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (November 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393732320
• ISBN-13: 978-0393732320
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Travel > Caribbean > Cuba > Havana

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning. And this is just a sample., November 20, 2007

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Coronet Blue (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Havana Deco (Hardcover)

While Miami Beach is the world capitol of Art Deco, it really doesn't compare to Havana. Here are 175 pages of everything from world class, French inspired Deco to modest streamlined structures.

But wait, there's more. In fact, there is so much Art Deco in neighborhoods like Vedado, that this is but a sample. And that's just Havana! Take the Autopista in either direction and you will find many Cuban cities have more Art Deco. (Also a smaller amount of beautiful Art Noveau).

Professional quality photos, too. Sharp and highly detailed, with the buildings standing up straight. They sure picked a bland building for the cover though. Why not Edifico Bicardi or the Baro-Lasa house?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tropical Deco in Decline, July 27, 2008

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Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Havana Deco (Hardcover)

The 1925 Paris "Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industrieles Modernes" was the launching point of the Art Deco Movement. By 1927, the first Art Deco home was being designed and built in Havana. This tells you something about the great speed at which new architectural ideas were moving in the newly "modern" world.

Like their nearby neighbors in Miami, the people of Havana eagerly adapted this new architectural language. Art Deco was the architecture of progress from the late 1920's until the early 1950's. One of the pleasures of reading "Havana Deco" is viewing the stark contrast between the numerous decaying Art Deco buildings of Havana and comparing them with their meticiously maintained cousins to the North. Although the building exteriors are in a general state of tropical decline, they nevertheless maintain their elegant Art Deco lines. Having finished this book, one knows that is just a question of time before wealthy Europeans and Cuban Americans purchase and restore these lovely old buildings.

The text in "Havana Deco" was written by two Cuban art historians and is servicable. The large format photos were taken by an Italian architectural photographer and are quite good. All and all, this is a quality book that can be purchased at a reasonable price. Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, May 17, 2011

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savvy buyer - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Havana Deco (Hardcover)

This book shows how beautiful and sophisticated old Havana was. It's sad to think that so many architectural gems have been lost because of the political situation in the island...