Cuban photojournalist Enrique de la Osa has released a striking photographic and documentary report exposing the neglect and decay of historic sculptures by artist Florencio Gelabert (1904-1995) located outside Havana's Hotel Riviera, a site recognized as a National Monument.
De la Osa captured images of the sculptures, including the iconic "La Ninfa y el Caballito," and even found a homeless person who claimed to sleep beneath one of the artworks, in an area once featuring a fountain.
"Tragically, all these outdoor artworks are in dire condition. The hotel itself—deteriorating and increasingly dilapidated—remains in utter neglect," De la Osa noted, adding that a bronze sculpture by Gelabert is now covered with a sheet, seemingly an effort to protect it from further degradation.
The Historic Riviera Hotel
Constructed in 1957, the Hotel Riviera was a venture by American businessman of Jewish descent, Meyer Lansky, designed by Russian-American architect Igor B. Polevitzky with a Miami Modern influence, and featured works by top Cuban artists like Cundo Bermúdez, Florencio Gelabert, Rolando López Dirube, Hipólito Hidalgo de Caviedes, and Enzo Gallo.
Gelabert was commissioned to create several pieces for the hotel: an outdoor garden sculpture with a fountain, a piece in the now-vanished interior courtyard, "Ritmo" in the central lobby, and the well-known "La Ninfa y el Caballito," according to the photojournalist.
Forgotten Legacy
De la Osa, whose family had personal ties with the sculptor—his father was a friend and his mother a student of Gelabert at the San Alejandro Academy—expresses regret that Gelabert, like many other island artists, "is now forgotten."
The report recalls that in the past, Florencio Gelabert Jr.—a sculptor residing in the United States for nearly 40 years—led a restoration project for his father's critically decayed sculptures, with Elvira de la Osa, the photojournalist's sister, heading the execution team. According to De la Osa, "the efforts were an odyssey, bureaucracy at every turn. We had to speak with a thousand people."
During those efforts, De la Osa remembers discussing the matter with then-Tourism Minister, now Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, who acknowledged the absurd bureaucratic complexity: "Look, it's a complicated issue, the Riviera is a National Heritage and it's a mess [...]". Despite that restoration, time and neglect have once again severely damaged the works.
Wider Pattern of Neglect
The Riviera's decay is not an isolated incident. The hotel's swimming pool diving board collapsed in March 2024 without visible construction efforts, despite a 2018 announcement of a 35 million euro investment for comprehensive rehabilitation with Iberostar as the manager. The establishment has been closed for years under the pretense of repairs without visible progress.
This pattern of neglect can be seen across the capital. By the end of 2025, Havana recorded 185,348 properties in poor condition, with 46,158 requiring major renovations and approximately 1,000 buildings collapsing annually. Deterioration of public art has also been reported in Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, and other cities on the island.
De la Osa concludes his denunciation with a question capturing the frustration of many Cubans: "Is it necessary to allow a hotel with the Riviera's history to be destroyed? [...] Ultimately, it is the HERITAGE OF THE NATION AND THE CUBAN PEOPLE." He ends with a definitive statement on responsibility: "It is criminal that neglect and ignorance outweigh the will."
FAQs on the Neglect of Hotel Riviera's Sculptures
What prompted Enrique de la Osa to document the sculptures at Hotel Riviera?
Enrique de la Osa documented the sculptures to highlight their neglect and deterioration, shedding light on the broader issue of heritage neglect in Cuba.
Who originally commissioned the sculptures at the Hotel Riviera?
The sculptures were commissioned for the Hotel Riviera, which was built in 1957 and involved contributions from prominent Cuban artists, including Florencio Gelabert.
How has the Cuban government responded to the decay of the Hotel Riviera?
Despite previous restoration efforts and the recognition of bureaucratic challenges, visible progress on preserving the hotel and its sculptures has been lacking.