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Burt Glinn: Cuba 1959
The photojournalistic fervor of Burt Glinn, as expressed through his documentation of the Cuban Revolution New Year’s Eve, 1958, 10 Magnum photographer Burt Glinn is at a black-tie party in New York when he hears news that dictator Fulgencio Batista has fled Cuba. By 7 am the next morning, he is in Havana in a cab, telling the "take me to the revolution." Such photojournalistic fervor allowed Glinn to be in the middle of the action to capture the Cuban Revolution as it unfolded on the ground. As Glinn said, “I could get up as close as I wanted.” His magnificent photographs convey the revolutionary idealism, mayhem and excitement of that moment in history. This volume includes some of Glinn’s most iconic Cuban photographs, as well as unseen shots, in both black and white and color, from gunshots being fired, confusion on the streets, the rounding up of the Batista Secret Police, spontaneous gatherings, embracing revolutionaries returning home to mothers, and, of course, Fidel Castro’s triumphant entrance into Havana. Glinn is famously quoted as saying, “I think that what you’ve got to do is discover the essential truth of the situation, and have a point of view about it.” This tome celebrates his ability to do just that.
Burt Glinn (1925–2008) was an award-winning photographer with a career spanning more than fifty years. He was versatile, technically brilliant and a legend in his own lifetime. Self taught, Glinn first worked for Life magazine in the late 1940s before going freelance. He joined Magnum Photos in 1951--one of the first Americans to do so--eventually serving as its president in the 1970s and again in the 1980s. Glinn embraced color photography as well as black and white, establishing his reputation with a spectacular color series on the South Seas, Japan, Russia, Mexico and California. He went on to capture crucial moments in history, including the Sinai War in 1956, the US Marine invasion of Lebanon in 1958, the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign. He offered searing insight with his social documentary photography, including a collection of unseen, soon to be published images of the Beat Generation. He was renowned for his iconic portraits of celebrities such as Andy Warhol and Elizabeth Taylor and was a highly successful commercial photographer. In 1981, Glinn married Elena Prohaska and their son Samuel Pierson Glinn was born in 1982.
Burt Glinn (1925–2008) was an award-winning photographer with a career spanning more than fifty years. He was versatile, technically brilliant and a legend in his own lifetime. Self taught, Glinn first worked for Life magazine in the late 1940s before going freelance. He joined Magnum Photos in 1951--one of the first Americans to do so--eventually serving as its president in the 1970s and again in the 1980s. Glinn embraced color photography as well as black and white, establishing his reputation with a spectacular color series on the South Seas, Japan, Russia, Mexico and California. He went on to capture crucial moments in history, including the Sinai War in 1956, the US Marine invasion of Lebanon in 1958, the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign. He offered searing insight with his social documentary photography, including a collection of unseen, soon to be published images of the Beat Generation. He was renowned for his iconic portraits of celebrities such as Andy Warhol and Elizabeth Taylor and was a highly successful commercial photographer. In 1981, Glinn married Elena Prohaska and their son Samuel Pierson Glinn was born in 1982.
191 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 2015
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December 8, 2015
For a lot of Americans, the word 'Cuba' brings either a sense of great anger, or adventure. Photographer and member of the Magnum Photos group, Burt Glinn, went to Cuba the day the revolution happened. When covering a story or incidents that is happening at that moment, a photographer must be part of that moment. If they lost the moment, then they don't have their photograph. Glinn, I suspect, is a man who always has his moment, and he will capture it. He surely did in Havana, 1959.
"Cuba 1959" is very much a photo-journalistic narration and the beauty of this book is not the fact that Glinn was behind the scenes, but actually in the crowd. So, his point-of-view is from the public and what they saw in those series of days around January 1, 1959. It's amazing that the photographer on December 31, 1958 was at a black-tie party in New York City when he heard the news that Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista had fled Cuba. By next morning, Glinn was in Havana.
Beautifully edited, the book lays out a narrative where Glinn starts his work as soon as he landed in Havana. The one thing that really struck me, was how handsome and beautiful the Cuban people are. They're incredibly chic! The Revolutionaries and Castro himself is a good-looking group of guys. Whatever this by design or happenstance, it almost looks like a fashion shoot, instead of a battle on a Havana street. The architecture as well, although in the background of these photos, is magnificent in itself. For those who are interested in Cuban style, this book is for you. But with bullets and upheaval.
"Cuba 1959" is not a political book, but a document of things that happened in the early days of 1959. What happened afterwards can be debated, but this book is not about that debate. What this book is about is a series of moments, where a change took place. And change for the moment, is usually the best. Tomorrow or later, that is another question all together. Gillian is a superb photographer. Although I never been to Cuba, I can feel the presence of the city and its architecture through this book. A classic.
"Cuba 1959" is very much a photo-journalistic narration and the beauty of this book is not the fact that Glinn was behind the scenes, but actually in the crowd. So, his point-of-view is from the public and what they saw in those series of days around January 1, 1959. It's amazing that the photographer on December 31, 1958 was at a black-tie party in New York City when he heard the news that Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista had fled Cuba. By next morning, Glinn was in Havana.
Beautifully edited, the book lays out a narrative where Glinn starts his work as soon as he landed in Havana. The one thing that really struck me, was how handsome and beautiful the Cuban people are. They're incredibly chic! The Revolutionaries and Castro himself is a good-looking group of guys. Whatever this by design or happenstance, it almost looks like a fashion shoot, instead of a battle on a Havana street. The architecture as well, although in the background of these photos, is magnificent in itself. For those who are interested in Cuban style, this book is for you. But with bullets and upheaval.
"Cuba 1959" is not a political book, but a document of things that happened in the early days of 1959. What happened afterwards can be debated, but this book is not about that debate. What this book is about is a series of moments, where a change took place. And change for the moment, is usually the best. Tomorrow or later, that is another question all together. Gillian is a superb photographer. Although I never been to Cuba, I can feel the presence of the city and its architecture through this book. A classic.
Displaying 1 of 1 review