Given that Havana is only around 230 miles away from Miami (and only 100 miles away from Key West along the coast), and has had a great influence on life in Miami, most obvious in Little Havana (which has lost a little of its authenticity as the tourist coaches have rolled in), it was good to see a reasonable representation of Cuban art at Art Miami, mostly from the Cernuda Arts in Coral Gables, but also a good sprinkling on other galleries, in particular with works by the great master, Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982) and also the young pop artist Jose Toirac (born 1966).  The presentation at Cernuda Arts started with even older paintings, reminding us of the rich artistic heritage of Cuba, though the main action was the 20th and the 21st centuries with a wide range of artists demonstrating the different styles in the rich Cuban art scene including Carlos Enriquez (1900-1957) with his Two Riders, Mariano Rodriguez (1912-1990) with his view of Valadero Beach and his contemporary Rene Portocarrero with his Portrait of Flora, running through the century to more contemporary artists including Manuel Mendive (born 1944) with his ‘Being Hunted’ harking bark to prehistoric times, Juan Roberto Diego (born 1966) and Vincente Hernandez (born 1971).  Sculpture is included too, with Augustin Cardenas’s ‘Rythmical Movement’.

The breadth and quality of modern and contemporary art from the relatively small island of Cuba, as always, is impressive.