Like a pearl well hidden in its oyster, tucked away at the center of the island, there is a jewel. Camaguey, the largest eastern-central of provinces in Cuba, and its Provincial Museum, treasures, surprisingly, the second most important art collection in Cuba, after Havana’s Museum of Fine Arts.
Its origins are owed to a group of Camaguey natives and art enthusiasts that dedicated themselves, in the 1940’s, to create a space where the region’s cultural future would be firmly rooted in a solid and noble legacy. This endeavor saw fruition in 1955, when it was granted a building, erected in 1948 as a Spanish cavalry barracks, which houses today an impressive collection that includes works from artists such as Fidelio Ponce, Leopoldo Romañach, …show more content…
This collection tells the history of Cuban art, there are pictures ranging from the Spanish colonial days to the present. There is, for instance, a painting dating from the 19th century made by the black slave Tati. This painting generates much talk because it is the oldest the museum treasures and it could be said that the entire collection starts with it. Then, there are pieces from the first and second avant-garde from artists such as Fidelio Ponce, perhaps the most well known artist from Camaguey, Servando, Mariano, Abela, Carlos Enriquez, and also works from more contemporary artists such as Los Carpinteros, Roberto Fabelo, and Yoel Jover. The building that houses the museum is an architectural and historical gem in itself; a colonial building that was first a cavalry barracks, then a hotel, and more recently this …show more content…
This artwork is titled “Los benefactores de la Caridad del Cobre”, and it is dated from 1803, accredited to a slave from the family Betancourt Agüero, named Tati, who didn’t have artistic education, but to whom many other pieces in this family are attributed. This piece is very valuable not only for being an example of the art during the Spanish colony but because of its author and date. The painting is a portrait of a family that donated funds for the construction of the Ermita de la Caridad, hence the title.

How many pieces, more or less, form this collection?
The number of pieces comes close to 1000, but bear in mind that this collection continues to grow through donations by important artists and other acquisitions by the museum.

In terms of conservation, what is the state of the collection, and what are the challenges you encounter?
Thanks to the team of experienced conservators, the collection is being well maintained, and it’s in a stable state. There is no air conditioner, but all areas are vented, and many measures are taken during times of cyclone,