Jose Bofill Cayol "Painter and Guardian of Our Heritage"

Contributed by María del Carmen Díaz Díaz

On December 27th, 1862, the painter and patriot Jose Cayol Bofill was born in Santiago de Cuba, this beautiful southeastern city of Cuba . He became a prominent promoter of the arts and a jealous guardian of our cultural heritage.  From an early age, he revealed his desire and passion for the painting, an artistic expression in which he has Antonio Vallejo as first and principle master. After graduating, he worked in accounting for several years at the Gas Company, while using the money he made for paying his tuition tuition.  At 24 years of age, he was inspired with an the idea of founding the Yacht Club of Santiago de Cuba. This institution became a center of conspiracies to influence the second war of independence against the Spanish colonialism, which began in 1895.  Jose Bofill was arrested and after a period of solitary confinement, on April 22nd, 1897, was released with a warning to leave the country immediately.

He started a difficult but decisive stage in his life. He passed directly to Haiti, where he drew cards, using a pen, with effigies of Marti and Maceo, which were acquired by emigration.  He later traveled to Costa Rica and eventually to New York.  In this American city, he taught painting, drawing and designed buildings and monuments, such as the first tomb of Jose Marti and the medallion of the pantheon erected to Federico Capdevila, an advocate for medical students shot by the Spaniards.



José Bofill, Callejón Colonial, acuarela (water color)



At this stage, in his creative work, he made portraits honoring outstanding figures of the Independence, which were drawn or sold by the delegations of the Cuban Revolutionary Party to swell its funds.

In May 1898, he returned to Santiago de Cuba and is appointed by the Mayor Don Emilio Bacardi Moreau, as director of the museum created by him, and which happened to be the first museum  founded in the country. Bofill presided over the section of visual arts of the Athenaeum of the city and promoted many cultural activities, along with prominent personalities from the intelligentsia from Santiago.

In 1912, he joined the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and attended as a delegate to the National Congress of Art in 1930.  He was awarded the gold medal of the Cuban Marine Companies, and subsequently was awarded the degree of admiral of the order of nautical merit.  He was also a member of the Association of Artists of Oriente. In addition to his artwork and his work as specialist in museums, he delved into the art of modeling.  After his retirement, he was appointed Honorary Director of the Emilio Bacardí museum and library Elvira Cape.  Jose Bofill Cayol died on October 20th, 1946 and served as the curator of the Emilio Bacardi Museum until his death.

Today, the replica of an alley in Santiago from the colonial era designed by him very deservedly bears his name. This one showcases a side of the museum.

However, we, the people from Santiago de Cuba, owe a great debt to his memory.  His extensive work, deserves the appreciation and admiration of the present generation, and an appreciation for his contribution to the visual arts and to the protection of our cultural heritage.

Museo Provincial Emilio Bacardi Moreau "Santiago de Cuba"

Picture: 1935-1947 Archive of Hispanic Culture

Don Emilio Bacardi Moreau

The Museo Provincial Emilio Bacardí Moreau is located in the historical centre of Santiago de Cuba. It stands out due to its eclectic façade decorated with neo-classical elements and designed by the architect Carlos Segrera.

The museum is a public institution founded by Emilio Bacardí Moreau on the 12th February 1899. The museum was located in several different buildings (including the house of its founder) before it was inaugurated in its present headquarters with the backing of Bacardí’s widow Elvira Cape Lombard. The museum bears the name of its prestigious intellectual and founder and its establishment heralded one of the most important socio-cultural events in the city.

The museum has been directed by local artists and intellectuals such as José Bofill Cayol, Fernando Boytel Jambú and Antonio Ferrer Cabello. Its aim is to care for, conserve and enrich its collections for the enjoyment of present and future generations so that they may learn about history and their ancestors and look upon them with gratitude and love.

Review by: Frommer's Review

Begun by Emilio Bacardí, the founder of the political and rum dynasty in 1899, this highly personal collection constituted one of the first museums in Cuba. Now a provincial museum, it remains an eclectic art and historical assembly. The grand, gleaming white neoclassical building was erected in 1928 to house the idiosyncratic collection. On the first floor is a wide variety of artifacts documenting indigenous peoples, slavery, and the wars of independence, including an extensive array of armaments and a peculiar coffin-shaped torpedo used by the Mambíses. Bacardí also collected personal items belonging to Cuban national heroes, including those of Antonio Maceo and Carlos Manuel Céspedes. Don't miss the tiny stage set of a colonial Santiago street (through a door on the south side of the first floor). In an annex, which must be entered from a side door on Calle Aguilera, is an archaeology room holding an Egyptian mummy (smuggled out of Egypt in 1913), a pair of Peruvian mummies belonging to the Paracas (pre-Inca) culture, various ceremonial objects, pre-Columbian ceramics, and an extraordinary decorated shrunken head from the Amazon. The second floor is an art museum exhibiting national and international paintings. Allow an hour to see it all. All of the display information here is in Spanish, but English-speaking guides are available.

Spanish:

El Museo Provincial Emilio Bacardí Moreau, significativo exponente del centro histórico urbano de Santiago de Cuba, se distingue por su fachada ecléctica decorada con elementos neoclásicos. Fue diseñado por el arquitecto Carlos Segrera.

La centenaria Institución cuenta con 3 salas expositivas: Arte, Historia y Arqueología.

Posee un extenso fondo de más de 23000 bienes patrimoniales destacándose documentos y manuscritos, partituras musicales, reliquias históricas de carácter patriótico, colecciones numismáticas, antiguedades curiosas y pertenencias de personalidades internacionalmente reconocidas y significativas para la nación.

La Comisión Nacional de Monumentos por la Resolución No. 3 del 10 de octubre de 1978, declaró en 1999 a la Institución como Monumento Nacional.