ART FOR THE RESTLESS MIND
Several times I have had the urge to write about the exhibitions organized by Galería Habana. Ever since I set a foot for the first time on the gallery, in 2013, I have always been impressed by the high level and amount of the artistic proposal it offers. We are talking about one of the most significant Cuban galleries, of international prestige and with a rich history. The works of great Cuban artists such as
Wifredo Lam, René Portocarrero, Mariano Rodríguez and Amelia Peláez have been displayed at this space, just to cite some examples unknown to current generations. Consecrating a gallery at the highest professional level for more than sixty years is a titanic task. This has been possible, to a large extent, thanks to the wealth of artists of various generations whose prestige have credit or still credit this institution. Just to mention a few: Roberto
Fabelo, Manuel Mendive, Carlos Garaicoa, Los Carpinteros, Roberto Diago, Yoán Capote and his brother Iván, all engendered by the artistic teaching of our nation.
There are many artists to mention, but this is not the objective of this hurried review of the history of our flagship gallery. Rather it is the pretext that I have found to inquire about the sample Rara Avis, by Humberto Díaz.
When Kirk Douglas played the role of racing driver Gino Borgesa in the movie “The Racers” (1955), he entered the motor world faster than his character in the Monte Carlo Rally. And although it is a romantic drama, it brings in lovers of the motor world because in the film he drives the car of the established pilot Stirling Moss. Kirk Douglas was always very active. He invested part of his fortune in charity acts, wrote books including his own biography (“The Son of the Ragpicker”). He was a car lover. We already said that in his movie “The Racers” he drives the first car, which famous English Formula 1 racer Stirling Moss drove.
The film tells how car racer Gino Borgesa (Kirk Douglas), during his practices before racing in the Monte Carlo Rally, had an accident as a result of avoiding running over a dog. With this accident, his car is destroyed along with his illusion for racing. And then Nicole (Bella Darvi), the owner of the dog, shows up and promises Gino another car. And in the process of looking for the right vehicle, love flourishes.