Pedro García Espinosa, distinguished artist and set designer, dies in Havana

August 15, 2020

Pedro García Espinosa, founder of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, ICAIC, died in Havana yesterday, August 14.

The ICAIC thus loses one of its founders, art director of more than 25 films, among them several classics of Cuban cinema such as Lucía, Adventures of Juan Quin Quin and Cecilia. At the same time, a tireless creator of the plastic arts, with more than 300 works and more than 15 personal exhibitions.

His book Memories of an Art Director, published by ICAIC Editions, is a journey through his long experience in cinema. Concerned with historical memory, he carried out, together with his brother Humberto, several documentaries about figures in Cuban cinema and about the Sociedad Nuestro Tiempo. His work as a professor enabled the training of other artists.

Inclined toward the plastic arts since childhood, he entered cinema through his brother Julio García-Espinosa, one of its greatest creators. A member of the Sociedad Nuestro Tiempo, he participated in the production of El Mégano, considered the precursor of cinema committed to the reality of the country.

He is a graduate of the Academy of San Alejandro and of Art History from the University of Havana. He studied at the Experimental Center of Cinematography in Rome with one of the most important set designers of Italian neorealism. Upon his return to Cuba, he was part of the first productions of the ICAIC, The Young Rebel and Realengo 18.

He later worked under the direction of several Cuban and foreign film directors. He was one of the organizers of the important Set Decoration and Props departments of the ICAIC Film Studios. Pedro, assisted by his solid cultural knowledge, made essential contributions to Art Direction as an independent specialty, which brings together set design, set decoration and props, in alliance with costume design and makeup.

Through his work he demonstrated that an Art Director is an artist and a researcher, who must ensure that cinema's artifice is faithful to the contexts of the stories in each film. His book Memories of an Art Director is a compendium of experiences and practical teachings, a masterclass on the challenges of the specialty, a brilliant testament that, together with his work, extends his life.