Fidel Castro's 90th Birthday Celebrated Through Artistic Portraits

On August 13, 2016, Fidel Castro turned 90, prompting a retrospective of his depictions in art. While Che Guevara remains the ultimate icon, Castro has inspired many artists, both Cuban and international. Notable contributors include Tonel, whose work appeared in 'Cuban Contemporary Perspectives' at Galleria Bianconi in Milan; Hiroshi Sugimoto; Alberto Korda; and even Che Guevara himself, who occasionally used a camera. A curiosity is land artist Dario Gambarin, who in 2015 created a 27,000-square-meter portrait of Castro in a cornfield in Castagnaro, Verona, using a tractor and plow. Less known is that Castro's second son, Alex Castro Soto del Valle, is an accomplished photographer with exhibition and biennial credits. He collaborated with Italian painter Franco Azzinari, who painted many portraits of Castro, leading to a joint exhibition in 2012 at Casa dell'Alba Cultural de L'Habana. The article includes a photo gallery of Castro portraits.