The latest book by Michael Connors, Foreword by Ricardo Porro
A revealing collection of astonishingly fresh and undiscovered mid-century architecture and interiors in Havana.
Caribbean design expert and historian Michael Connors leads the reader on an unprecedented tour in Havana of the stunning and architecturally important private homes and buildings that have been meticulously preserved, previously unphotographed, and mostly inaccessible to visitors. This lavishly illustrated book represents the modern movement in Cuban architecture from art nouveau and art deco to the flowering of high modernism just before the Revolution.
At a time when more travelers are rediscovering Cuba, this volume offers a wide range of the city’s twentieth-century cultural achievements. The photographs, shot exclusively for the book, show examples from the artsy Vedado neighborhood, the seaside streets of Miramar, Central Havana, and Havana’s posh Country Club Park area. The book includes such iconic places as Cuba’s remarkably futuristic National Schools of Art; the famous art deco landmark Bacardi building, once the headquarters of the Cuban rum empire; Casa de Alfred von Schulthess by Richard Neutra; the stylishly modernist, Habana Riviera Hotel, and its original 1957 Interiors; the Hotel Nacional de Cuba designed by McKim, Mead and White, located on Havana’s seaside drive the Malecón; and the world-famous Tropicana cabaret nightclub by noted architect Max Borges.
Havana Modern is a pioneering book of modern design that shows a corner of the world where modern architecture thrived and has been carefully preserved.
Michael Connors has more than 30 years of experience in writing, consultation, and teaching in fine and decorative arts. He is regarded as the exponent and arbiter of caribbean architecture and decorative arts, has written many books, including The Splendor of Cuba, Caribbean Houses and British West Indies Style.
Ricardo Porro is a Cuban-born architect. In 1961 he was designated by Fidel Castro as the lead architect and head of design for Havana’s National Schools of Art. He presently lives in Paris.
Press:
Press Release
Additional Havana Modern News and Resources
About the Author Back Purchase
