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The FUSTERLANDIA neighborhood in Havana

The art of Cuban artist José Fuster is “naive,” in the sense that he uses childlike, crude forms and bright colors in his untrained composition. His work has been compared to that of Picasso, a comparison that followed him on successful tours throughout Europe.

After one of these tours in Europe, Fuster was struck by the desire to recreate in his homeland something like the public works of Gaudí in Barcelona and those of Brâncuşi in Romania. He wanted to place his artistic reality in his real environment, and he began in his own neighborhood, which over time came to be recognized as Fusterlandia.

In 1975, after moving into a modest wooden house in the rundown neighborhood of Jaimanitas outside Havana, Fuster decided to decorate his studio with colorful mosaics. Once he had done that, he asked his neighbors if he could also decorate their homes and shops. Some accepted his offer, and the tile creations grew. Over the course of a decade, medical clinics, bus stops, fountains, benches, entrance gates, and much more were wrapped in Fuster’s whimsical imagination. Today, his artworks cover the neighborhood in a rainbow of strange, enchanting fantasy.

The neighborhood of Jaimanitas, just a few minutes by taxi from downtown Havana, was an economically depressed area before Fuster’s arrival, and now it has been transformed into a haven for artists. Travelers are drawn to this poetic and unique place to admire Fuster’s growing kingdom, which has inspired a new generation of Cuban artists who have come from all over the island.

If you are in HAVANA, it is worth taking a trip to Fusterlandia.