Description
About the photography:
El quijote de la farola. First celebration of the 26th of July, after the triumph of the Revolution. Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, 1959 © Alberto Korda Estate
Eleutério Tirado Jiménez was among the thousands of peasants who came to Havana from all over the country in July 1959 to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Assault on the Moncada Barracks, when the movement led by Fidel Castro tried to overthrow the government of Fulgêncio Batista. The attentive eye of Alberto Korda captured the moment when Eleutério climbed a public lamp post in order to be able to witness and hear the speech in the midst of the huge crowd.
Alberto Korda (1928-2001) is the author of the most reproduced photograph of the 20th century: the portrait of Che Guevara, Guerrillero Heroico. However, his work goes far beyond the theme of the Cuban Revolution. Korda photographed the beauty of Cuba’s women, people and sea throughout his extensive career, which began in the 1950s as a fashion and advertising photographer.
