Korda and the Revolutionary Image

One morning in March of 1960, Alberto Korda snapped a quick photograph of Che Guevara. The photo was not picked up for publication in Havana’s newspapers the next morning, but when Che died in Bolivia seven years later it garnered global attention. It is believed to be the world’s most reproduced photograph and the second most reproduced image in the history of Western art behind da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Despite the fact that it is one of the most recognizable images in the world, Korda always insisted that it was a “lucky break.” Indeed, the artist took very few photographs of Che. He was nonetheless an important photographer of the Revolution and his works offer profound insights into its leaders. This exhibition features photographs of such historical figures as Fidel Castro, Raúl Corrales and Che Guevara.