Revolution of Forms, Cuba’s Forgotten Art Schools
(Princeton Architectural Press, March 2011)
The most outstanding architectural achievement of the Cuban Revolution stood for many years neglected in the suburbs of Havana. The Escuelas Nacionales de Arte (National art schools) was conceived by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara after the Revolution’s victory, in a burst of utopian optimism. The schools attempted to reinvent architecture, just as the Revolution hoped to redefine society. However, before construction was completed, the schools fell out of favor.
Revolution of Forms, Cuba’s Forgotten Art Schools, first published in 1999, examines the convergence and collision of architecture, ideology, and culture in 1960s Cuba through the design of the schools. They were left in various stages of use and abandonment until the attention brought by this book swayed the Cuban government to commit to their restoration. The Escuelas Nacionales de Arte stand today as an eloquent symbol of an elusive utopian dream. This updated edition includes a new preface and epilogue.