Mario Díaz
2024.248

2024.248

© 1995 Nubia Diaz

2024.248
2024.248
ArtistCuban, 1951–2019
CultureCuban
Date1995
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage (at open): 11 1/16 × 16 11/16 in. (28.1 × 42.4 cm)
Frame (outer): 16 3/4 × 21 15/16 × 1 1/4 in. (42.6 × 55.7 × 3.2 cm)
Credit LineThe Madeleine P. Plonsker Collection, Gift of Madeleine and Harvey Plonsker
Object number2024.248
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 314
On view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description

Mario Díaz considered himself a Surrealist because his photographs put dreams and reality in dialogue. On one hand, Havana is widely known as a place where 1950s automobiles still ply the streets by sheer necessity and thanks to the loving care and constant repair recorded here. Conversely, the idea of a man literally swallowed up by an aging car as he tries to keep it running despite limited resources might well be understood as emblematic of the country itself during the Special Period of the 1990s.

 

Mario Díaz se consideraba un surrealista debido al diálogo entre sueños y realidad que sus fotografías proponen. Por una parte, La Habana es famosa por los automóviles de la década de 1950 que aún recorren sus calles, impulsados por la pura necesidad, el cuidado meticuloso y las constantes reparaciones que se documentan aquí. Por otra, la imagen de un hombre literalmente tragado por un automóvil añejo mientras intenta mantenerlo en funcionamiento con recursos limitados, bien podría interpretarse como un símbolo del país durante el Período Especial de los años noventa.


ProvenanceMadeleine and Harvey Plonsker, Glencoe, Illinois; given to MFAH, 2024.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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