José Manuel Villa Castillo

Graphic Designer-Set Designer-Interior Designer-Film Art Director.
Graduate of Advertising and Commercial Drawing, third year of the National School of Fine Arts "San Alejandro" and Bachelor of Letters in Hispanic Languages from the University of La Habana in 1981.

Founding member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). Vice President of the Graphic Design Section of the Association of Plastic Artists of UNEAC until 2007. Member of PROGRÁFICA (Cuban Association of Graphic Design), ICOGRADA International (International Association of Graphic Artists) and the International Association of Plastic Artists of UNESCO.

He has been a member of the Jury for various Design competitions and events, such as the Traffic Campaign, Carnival of La Habana, Cuban Unesco, EGREM, CubaDisco and the National Prize for Plastic Arts.

He worked as Graphic Designer at the National Theater of Cuba from 1960 to 62; when the National Council of Culture (CNC) was created, he became part of its Promotion and Propaganda Department. He moved in 1969 to the Cuban Book Institute, initially at the Editorial Arte y Literatura, and together with Raúl Martínez and Esteban Ayala, he was responsible for the Artistic Direction of that institution; he moved to the Editorial Pueblo y Educación as Designer and Art Director of the Humanities Section, managing Editorial Design for the Primary Teacher Training Plan, publishing about 100 titles for this plan.

In parallel with his work at the ICL, he began collaborating with ICAIC as Scenic Designer in Film Production.

In 1980 he left the ICL and moved to the Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets, at the Environmental Design Center, as Specialist Interior Design Designer for works of social and tourist character, he retired in 1993 to work as an Independent Creator.

He has collaborated with EGREM on Album Cover Design. He worked as Scenic Designer, Costume Designer and Artistic Director at the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry.

Within book design, he created Editorial Design for the Collection of Sociology Studies and Basic Library of Cuban Authors of Editorial Arte y Literatura, artistically directed the publications of the Huracán Collection, designed for the Dragón Collection and a broad set of covers and interiors for various titles of Editorial Arte y Literatura, including: La Revolución del 30 se fue a bolina, by Raúl Roa and A pie y descalzo, by the same author, Anthology of Science Fiction Stories, Francisco, from the Basic Library Collection of Cuban Authors, the edition illustrated by Cuban painter Juan Moreira of El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha, The Andromeda Nebula, by Isaac Asimov, the diary of Tania la guerrillera, Memoirs of a Cuban Woman Born with the Century, by Renée Méndez Capote.

At Editorial Pueblo y Educación he was in charge of the design of all Primary Reading titles, History for Secondary Education, Plastic Education, Theater and Universal Literature, as well as publications of the Training Plan for Primary Teachers.

His graphic work has been recorded in specialized books such as Cuban Posters, by Susan Suntang, N.Y., 1976; Las Artes Plásticas en Cuba, by Adelaida de Juan, ICL, 1972; Cuban Posters in Revolution, by Reyna María Valdés Circa, 1982 and La Imagen Constante, by José R. Bermúdez, ICL, 2000.

He has participated with his work in the Graphic Biennales of Warsaw, in Poland, Tokyo, Japan, Lahti, Finland and in Brno, Czech Republic, as well as in exhibitions of Cuban Graphics in different European countries with the CNC and the ICL.

He has represented, as Graphic Designer, Cuba in events in Czechoslovakia, former German Democratic Republic and in Martinique.

Personal and collective exhibitions:
His first personal exhibition was held in 1960 at José Manuel Galería Habana, Arte y Cinema La Rampa, La Habana, CUBA. He participated collectively in several exhibitions such as "Lahti VI Poster Biennale" Lahti Art Museum, Lahti, FINLAND. 1985. And the XII Biennale of Graphic Design Brno 1986. The Moravian Gallery, Brno, CZECHOSLOVAKIA. 1986, among others.

Awards:
For his designs he obtained several awards such as the Gold Medal. (International Book Fair. IBA), Leipzig, G.D.R. 1971.
National Prize for Book Design, 2008 for his lifetime work.

Works in Collection
His main collections are found in:

The National Library "José Martí", La Habana, CUBA.
Casa de las Américas, La Habana, CUBA.
Lahti Poster Museum, Lahti, FINLAND.
Moravska Galerie, Brno, CZECHOSLOVAKIA.
Poster Museum, Wilanow, Warsaw, POLAND.
National Museum of Fine Arts, La Habana, CUBA.
Museum der Bildende Kunst (Art Book collection), Leipzig, GERMANY.