The Cuban school of Film posters started after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, with the pioneering works of gaphic designers such as, Eduardo Mu�oz Bachs, Antonio Perez known as �iko, Antonio Fern�ndez Reiboro, Ren� Azcuy Cardenas, and Raul Martinez Gonzales among others. The most important impetus came from the establishment of El Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematogr�ficos (ICAIC), the Cuban Art Institute of cinematography, by the Cuban revolutionary leadership in 1960. The bold, aesthetically powerful, stunningly balanced compositions, and thought provoking posters are the main features of the Cuban school.

Eduardo Mu�oz Bachs

Eduardo Mu�oz Bachs was born in Valencia, Spain in 1937. The family moved to France when Eduardo was two years old and after a year relocated to Cuba. His father was a journalist, a teacher and one of the first television producers in Cuban in the early 1950s. Bachs, a naturally gifted artist, began to work as a graphic designer at the age of 16, without ever attending any art school. In 1958, one year before the Cuban Revolution, he was hired as a full time animation artist for the Cuban television.

Zoro, 1976

Zatoichi challenged! , 1967

Cr�a cuervos , 1976

Bach joined the animation department of ICAIC, upon its inception in 1960. His distinguished career as the most prolific ICAIC poster designer was launched by his creation of the first ICAIC poster: Historias de la Revoluci�n in 1960. Bach spent his entire career at the ICAIC, except for a brief period between 1962 to 65, when he joined the advertising department of Agencia intercomunicaciones, while continuing to make occasional posters for the ICAIC.
Having a friendly attitude, and eager to accept and respond rapidly to various projects he created a large body of work, that has never been cataloged.

Vampiros en la Habana, 1985

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, 1974

Gigi, 1958

The Lovers of Hiroshima/A Record of Love and Death, 1966

Using powerful compositions enhanced by a rich and vibrant pallet of five to six colors together with an elegant handwritten typography his silkscreen posters are archetype of an aesthetically potent visual communication. It is estimated that over two thirds of his posters include a handwritten typography, which allowed him to quickly submit a finished model when orders came especially during emergencies. He also worked as graphic designer of children's books. Bachs' work has been recognized internationally. In 1968, he won the bronze medal in a children books' competition in Varna, Bulgaria, as well, in 1986, he won the second prize in an International Competition of book illustrations for Youth, in Japan. But it is also true that many of his posters have a monumental character, quality first showing. During his career, Bachs has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions such as Exposici�n International Graphic Arts (Brno, Tchescoslovaquie), the International Poster Biennale (Warsaw, Poland) and the International Biennial of Lineup (Lahti, Finland). He also won several prestigious awards for his movie posters including, the First International Prize Filmexpo Ottawa in 1972, the First Prize at the International Competition in Paris movie posters and the First Prize at the international film posters in the US, in 1978. He died in Havana on July 22, 2001.

Antonio Perez -- �iko

Antonio Perez -- �iko, was born in Havana, Cuba in 1941. He studied History of Art at University of Havana, and has taught at Universidad Veracruzanas' Jos� Antonio Echeverr�a Politechnical Institute, Instituto Superior de Arte de la Habana, Instituto Superior de Diseno Industrial, and Gestault School of Design in Xalapa. Closely associated with ICAIC, since 1968, he has made posters for Cuban and foreign films as well as revolutionary political posters during the 1960- 70 era. He is currently living in Mexico.

Che, 1983

Pablo,

De alg�n tiempo a esta parte

�iko is mainly interested in social posters, but he has also created a number of memorable posters for films. He participated in the International Film Poster Exhibition, at Ottawa, in 1972, where he won an Award of Merit. Five years later his works were exhibited in Paris at Centre national d'art et de culture Georuges Pompido. As well, he has exhibited at Bienal Internacional del Cartel en Mexico (1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998), International Poster Biennale, Warsaw (1994) and Lahti Poster Biennale (1995).

Frenesi, Poster for Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy,1972.

el oscaso de los cheyennes, Poster for John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn, 1964.

Poster for James Whale's Frankenstein

Contratenor

In 1983 �iko won National Culture Award of Cuba, and in 1992, he won the second prize, Bienal Internacional del Cartel en Mexico. Other prizes include Special Prize (group) First Contest of Movie Posters, Cannes, 1973; Special Prize (group) Contest of Movie Posters, 1974; Prize of Second International Biennial of Movie Posters, Cannes, 1974; Prize at Second International Biennial of Posters, Mexico, 1974; First Grand Prize Paris International Festival II, 1976. He has published the Book of Catalog (�ico Carteles, 1998), Expo Jir�fica Catalog, 1999. Expo France Catalog, 1999 and essays about the culture of Veracruz Plastic, 2000.

Antonio Fern�ndez Reiboro

Antonio Fern�ndez Reiboro was born in Nuevitas, in Camag�ey, Cuba in 1935. His parents Antonio Fern�ndez de la Fuente, the owner of "La Francia", a department store, and Julia Robiro Varquez were Spanish emigrants to Cuba. Antonio began to work as a graphic designer at La Francia, while studying architecture and design at the University of Havana. He worked a as a designer for Flogal Department store an Olivetti in Havana, and during 1960-63, joined as an assistant to the architect Ricardo Porro in the construction of National School of Art in Havana, and in 1963 designs the poster for for the 7th International Congress of Architecture. In 1964 he joined the ICAIC as poster designer. He designed the Cuban pavilions in the Leipzig Trade Show in 1965, and in Tokyo in 1067.

Reiboro has been a prolific poster designer, who was among the first artists abandoning Socialist Realism. He has won numerous awards such as Prix Special Prize at Ottawa international Film Festival in 1972, Merit Prize, at Cannes' XXVII International Film Festival in 1974, Grand prize for poster exhibition at Cannes' XXVIII Internatinal Film Festival, and Grand Prize at Paris Internatinal Poster Exhibition in 1975. In 1982, Reiboro migrated to Spain and began to work at the Ministry of culture. He has also directed several films.

Ren� Azcuy Cardenas

Paul Ren� Azcuy Cardenas was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1939. In 1955, he entered the National School of Fine Arts (Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes), at San Alejandro, Havana -- the oldest and most prestigious fine arts school in Cuba and at the very same year, 1955 he entered for a two years course at the College of Arts and Crafts in Havana. He also studied at the School of Psychology at the University of Havana. Over the period 1964-83 Cardenas worked as a Graphic Designer for the ICAIC. He has taught at the School of Architecture at Universidad Metropolitana Xochimilco, Benem�rita University of Puebla. Pacific University of Chile, the Higher Institute of Applied Arts
Hungary, the Oriental Institute of Naples in Italy, Escuela Superior of Graphic Design in Rosario in Argentina, University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada and Colegio Universitario de Segovia in Spain. In 1992 he served as a judge of the Second International Poster Biennale at Mexico, and in 1996 acted as a member of the Organizing Committee for the Fourth International Poster Biennale at Mexico.

Cardenas' Solo Exhibitions include his 1977 exhibition ''The hands of Azcuy " at Sala Rub�n Mart�nez Villena,UNEAC Gallery , in Havana, and his 1988,''show "Ren� Azcuy Affiches" at the Maison de L'Amerique Latine, in Paris, France. He has also participated in a number of group shows. Among the awards and honors he has received are: Poster Prize in 1966. World Chess Olympiad, Havana, 1968 Poster and logo Prize of Cultural Congress in Havana, 1974 Award from International Film Poster Exhibition in Ottawa, the 1974 First Prize of the International Film Poster Competition from the Hollywood Report, Los Angeles, the 1984 First Prize Coral of the Sixth Latin American Competition for Film Posters at the Sixth International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana. Cardenas works are at many international galleries including the Center for Cuban Studies in New York, the George Pompidou Centre in Paris, Library of Congress in Washington and the Poster Museum, at Wilanow, Warsaw.

Throughout his career Ren� Azcuy has focued primarily in black and white compositions. In fact, this has been the hallmark of his artistic expression in a visual communication paradigm. In his posters Ren� Azcuy is particularly interested in the expression conveyed by hands as well as the exaggerated facial expression as the main feature of his main thematic compositions, which may include; the open hand, holding hands, fist, and various hand gestures associated with imploring, quarreling, threatening, rage, fear and a wide range of other human experiences or various expression of silence, suspicion, sadness and so on, which reveal his deep understanding of human drama.

Ra�l Mart�nez Gonz�lez

Ra�l Mart�nez Gonz�lez, was born in Ciego de �vila and studied in Havana and at the Art Institute of Chicago. His early works were abstract, but he moved towards figurative design later in his career. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Mart�nez participated in the establishment of the ICAIC. He was influenced by the growing pop-art movement, and used this style in a number of his magazine, book and poster designs. Many of his works carried the themes and iconography of the Cuban revolution, using vibrant colors and comic book themes. In 1966 Mart�nez began the first of many designs based around the image of national hero Jos� Mart�. Works by Ra�l Mart�nez are on exhibit in museums throughout the world. He had a large number of solo and group exhibitions, including an exhibition of his drawings and designs at the Center of Cuban Studies in New York in 1975. He won the Silver Medal in the Cuban Painting Exhibition at Tampa University, Florida. Cuba�s National Museum of Fine Arts dedicates a large space in the permanent collections halls to Ra�l Mart�nez.

In the early 1950s, Mart�nez�along with such artists as Guido Llin�s and Tomas Oliva�established the group Los Once (The Eleven), whose members adapted New York School-style Abstract Expressionism in the context of Cuban art. After the success of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Mart�nez moved to advertisement, and his success provided him the opportunity to assume the art direction of the literary magazine, Lunes de Revoluci�n. Meanwhile, he continued to produce large abstract paintings. However, with his 1964 "Homage" series, Mart�nez began to use collage with a wide array of images, including; furniture, magazine covers, family photos, and everyday objects, fused with the spontaneous aesthetic of the revolutionary graffiti and street art of Havana.

Mart�nez�s 1968 film poster design for �Lucia;� was reproduced in the 1970 book The Art of the Revolution, with a preface by Susan Sontag. As an artistic photographer, he participated in the influential Foto-Mentira exhibition of 1965 and for the Venice Biennale of 1984, he participated with a mural design. With his 1978 �La Gran Familia,� he began to integrate photography into his art, in which he juxtaposed the faces of Cuban youth along with their leaders, the mural is now at the permanent collection, of El Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, in Havana. He died in 1995.