Museo de Arte Europeo

            Yesterday was our weekly day of adventure with our Professor within the city of Havana.  This Thursday we had to go and give fingerprints for immigration purposes so we decided to go to the Museum of European Art that is right nearby.  I absolutely loved this museum.  It was an incredibly different experience from the museum of Cuban Art.  Let me explain why.

            The Cuban Art Museum is in an area that is still in Old Havana, but it is away from the capitol and the central square.  Facing the entrance to the Cuban Museum is all the tanks and planes and boats that Castro and his forces used during the Revolution.  You can see the capitol and the central square from the European Art Museum’s front door.  So already these two museums show a contrast just in their location.  Interestingly, the Cuban Art Museum only had three floors of works while the European Art Museum had five.  Granted, every floor was home to different styles of works, Greek, Etruscan, French, Italian, but I think it said a lot about how much other countries affect Cuba.  Interestingly, there was even a section for work from the United States.  Yes, it was the tiniest section, but it was there. 

             Another thing that really struck me as I was going through the European Museum was that the building itself was a piece of artwork.  It was a colonial building and had an intense amount of detail in its architecture alone.  The Cuban Museum was very much a more modern museum that had no ornate scrollwork on top of columns, or painted vaulted ceilings.  If I had to put it into American terms, it would be like going to a contemporary art museum versus a traditional museum. 

            One thing that I love about all of the museums that I have been to in Cuba is that in every room there are people.  Just sitting or standing around to make sure that no one touches or harms the works.  Honestly, I can’t remember if there are these people in museums in the US but all I do remember is that if there were, they were unapproachable.  Here, these people love for you to ask them questions.  I was in the French section in the Museum and I spent the entire time just in that room talking to Rafael and Yolaida.  About a French work and French art in general, about a German work that they both liked, about Cuba and US relations.  We had dinner last night with a gentleman named Israel who said that Cuba’s national sport is not baseball.  Baseball is Cuba’s national pastime, talking is Cuba’s national sport.  So very true and I cannot wait to get to go back to the Museum and talk some more!