Cuban Mid-Century Design: A Modernist Regime

The first book, accompanying a traveling exhibition, dedicated to Cuban mid-century design anchored by an under-acknowledged collection of graphic design, prototypes, and furniture, much of which has never been exhibited outside the island or published.

Primarily focused on the post-revolutionary era of Cuba from the late 1950s through the 1970s, this volume brings together a prolific cohort of artists, designers, and architects that materialized the ideology of their time, and ultimately narrate the country’s arc from revolutionary promise to authoritarian retrenchment.  

Design and architecture played an important role in shaping the country's identity and cultural expression during this time period. Consisting of nearly 100 works, including approximately 50 pieces of furniture, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue features seminal objects of functional design, architectural renderings, speculative prototypes for a “design for all” ethos, and key examples of art and graphic design that contributed to the zeitgeist of the era. The book also includes several examples by contemporary Cuban artists and designers who explore how this post-revolutionary aesthetic survives today.

About the Authors:

Abel González Fernández is a writer and curator based in New York. González Fernández has curated exhibitions in Havana, Berlin, Tokyo, and New York.

Laura Mott is chief curator of Cranbrook Art Museum. An accomplished curator and lecturer, Mott joined Cranbrook in 2013 and has curated and co-curated more than 20 projects for the museum.

Andrew Satake Blauvelt is a curator, historian, critic, designer, and educator whose practice spans the fields of art and culture. He is director of Cranbrook Art Museum, leading the institution’s transformation into a vibrant and diverse cultural destination and community partner.