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  ©Burt Glinn / Magnum Photos

A Magnum photographer, Burt Glinn is an American-born international photographer actively contributing photographs, articles and reportage to the New York Times, the Paris-Match, once to the Life Magazine, and other numerous journals. 

Among many of his magnificent records, photographs he took of young Fidel Castro in 10 days at the outset of Cuban Revolution outstand. He vividly portrayed Fidel Castro leading the revolution, which swept the whole country like roaring flames in early 1959. 

Before dawn was breaking on New Year’s morning of 1959, a young photographer, Burt Glinn of 33 got on board a first-come, first-serve shuttle between Miami and Havana. He had instinctively responded to a talk at a party on the previous eve in New York that the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Bastista was on his way into exile. 

“I borrowed whaterve money I could, cabbed home, changed clothes – a tuxedo even from Morty Sills, my politically radical tailor, is not appropriate for a revolution – packed my cameras and called Cornell Capa, who was then president of Magnum. Cornell knocked on every door in his building and raised whatever cash he could for me. I arrived at LaGuardia Airport in time to make the last Yellow Bird to Miamai, with my gear, an Air Travel Card, $400 in cash, and no idea of what I was doing.”, the photographer recalls.

Witnessing a real revolution, he kept shooting, and chased off for Fidel Castro. The photographer was in one of the great adventures of his life. “Everybody was calling for Fidel. But nobody knew where Fidel was”, he says, and continues, “There was no press office; this was not a photo-op, it was a real revolution. The reality of where I was and what I was doing sunk in. I was exhilarated.”

An exhibition of his photographs showing developments in 10 days of the revolution was held under the title of “HAVANA” on January 10, 2001 in Cuba, 42 years after the historical incident. He met there Fidel Casto again. A book “HAVANA: The Revolutionary Moment” was published later and a worldwide tour exhibition was scheduled until 2004.

The exhibition “HAVANA” shows more than 60 images selected from the book including images of gallant Fidel Castro as a central figure.

Exhibition at PGI