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Cuban posters are among the most collectible in the world, and the Cuban film posters produced by ICAIC (Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematografico, the Cuban Film Institute) among the most coveted. (samples below) The film posters, in editions of 500 silkscreen posters, were usually made for each film shown in Cuba, both Cuban and foreign. (This practice no longer continues because of the shortage of materials as a result of Cuba's economic situation.) ICAIC had its own team of poster artists, including the greats--Bachs, Niko, Azcuy, Reboiro--and from time to time one or another of Cuba's best artists contributed designs. For example, Portocarrero did one film poster, for "Soy Cuba" (I Am Cuba, a Soviet-Cuban co-production recently restored by Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola); Alfredo Rostgaard contributed several, including those for "Cimarron," "Hasta la victoria siempre" and "Now!"; Raul Martinez did the famous poster for Humberto Solas' "Lucia" as well as for documentaries on Che Guevara and one of Fidel for an institutional ICAIC poster; Servando Cabrera Moreno contributed one design, for "Retrato de Teresa" (Portrait of Teresa, directed by Pastor Vega), and more contemporaneously, Zaida del Rio did the poster for "Una novia para David" (A Girlfriend for David, directed by Orlando Rojas).
There are several Cuban film poster exhibits for rent:
1) 25 posters for some of the best-known Cuban movies, including Tomas Gutierrez Alea's "El arte de tabaco," "Memorias del subdesarrollo," "Muerte de un burocrata," "Los sobrevivientes" and "Fresa y chocolate;" Humberto Solas' "Manuela," "Lucia," "Amada" and "Un hombre de exito;" "Soy Cuba;" Santiago Alvarez' "Now," "Hasta la victoria siempre," "La guerra olvidada," and "Mi hermano Fidel;" and others. Cost: $1,000 for one week; $1,500 for two weeks.
2) 50 posters organized by artist: Azcuy (10), including many of the Alea films; Bachs (15), including both Cuban and foreign films; Niko (10), Reboiro (10), and one each by Portocarrero, Rostgaard, Cabrera Moreno, Zaida del Rio and Raul Martinez. Cost: $1,500 for one week; $2,000 for two weeks, $3,000 for up to one month.
3) 100 posters representing the best films and the best artists, and including all of the classic posters. Among these classics are posters from the very first years of the Revolution, posters which are not only impossible to obtain but which most people have never even seen. Cost: $5,000 for up to one month.
4) A custom exhibit of any number can be put together if you know which posters you want or which artists or which films. Price to be determined by number, rarity of posters, etc.
Each of these exhibits comes with:
-- Labels identifying each poster
-- Biographies of the poster artist
-- Catalogs from a Center for Cuban Studies poster exhibit
-- Extra film posters than can be sold during the exhibit
with 20% of sales going to the renting institution
The Center takes responsibility for shipping and insurance to the renter; the renter is responsible for insurance during the exhibit and for shipping and insurance to the Center (or to another renting institution).
Some sample posters (click on the links):
Rostgaard's "Now!" "La guerra olvidada" "Hasta la victoria siempre"
Bachs' "Manuela" "Amada" "Un hombre de exito"
Niko's "El hombre de Maisinicu" "El juego de la manzana"
Azcuy's "Luz de esperanzas" "Un ramo de flores y una bandera" "Los sobrevivientes"
Portocarrero's "Soy Cuba"
FURTHER INFORMATION: cubanctr@igc.org or (212) 242-0559