Elliott Erwitt: Cuba

In 1964, while on assignment for Newsweek magazine, photojournalist Elliott Erwitt spent a week in Cuba as a guest of Fidel Castro. There, he captured now-iconic photographs of the beloved Cuban president along with the revolutionary leader Che Guevara. Over fifty years later, coinciding with restored diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, Erwitt returned to document both its urban and rural landscapes, and—most prominently—the people of this fascinating nation. Presented in a book for the very first time, Erwitt’s captivating black-and-white photographs offer an intimate look into this intriguing Caribbean island. From candid glimpses of Fidel Castro to Havana’s breathtaking architectural details and scenes of rural life, Cuba reflects an in-depth visual exploration that unveils the heart and soul of the country. Complete with anecdotal recollections penned by Erwitt himself (for example, the time when Che Guevara offered him a box of cigars) and a compelling foreword written by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this stunning tome isn’t a mere chronicling of Cuba’s people and places—it’s a historical record of a nation in flux as it opens up to the rest of the world.

A leading figure in magazine photography, ELLIOTT ERWITT’s journalistic essays, illustrations, and advertisements have been featured in publications around the world. A member of Magnum Photos since 1953, he has published multiple books and has had solo exhibitions in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Paris’s Museum of Modern Art, and Zurich’s Kunsthaus, among others. 

HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is an award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, critic, and institution builder. Gates has authored or coauthored twenty-one books and created fifteen documentary films, including Finding Your Roots, PBS’s groundbreaking genealogy series.