Instituto Superior de Arte

The leading art academy in Cuba is the Instituto Superior de Arte, established in the former Havana Country Club in 1961 and elevated to the status of institute in 1976. The cluster of buildings – some unfinished, some half-restored, but all gloriously graceful due to the arches, domes and profuse use of red brick – was the brainchild of Che Guevara and a team of architects. Among them was Ricardo Porro, who designed the striking Facultad de Artes Plásticas (1961) with long curving passageways and domed halls in the shape of a reclining woman. Some 800 students study here, and foreigners can too.