Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez, professionally known as Alberto Korda (1928–2001), was a Cuban photographer recognised for his documentation of the Cuban Revolution and his well-known image of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Guerrillero Heroico. Initially trained in commercial and fashion photography, Díaz Gutiérrez’s early work displayed technical precision and stylistic influence from Western photographic trends of the 1950s. His shift to photojournalism occurred alongside the revolutionary changes in Cuba, during which he became Fidel Castro’s personal photographer. This role provided him with consistent access to major political and social events, enabling him to systematically record and construct the visual representation of revolutionary Cuba through a controlled and methodical photographic practice.
Korda’s photographic work during the 1960s comprised portraits, documentary reportage, and visual records of Cuba’s industrial and agricultural sectors. His most reproduced image, Guerrillero Heroico (1960), featuring Ernesto “Che” Guevara, was captured during a memorial ceremony in Havana. The photograph subsequently became widely disseminated in both political and commercial contexts without Korda’s authorisation. During this period, he employed Leica rangefinder cameras, utilised available light, and maintained a direct compositional style appropriate for journalistic publication in Revolución and Cuba Internacional.
From the 1970s onwards, Korda’s work focused increasingly on underwater photography and environmental subjects. His earlier negatives and contact sheets were archived and later exhibited in international institutions, contributing to the study of mid-twentieth-century Latin American photographic production. The technical and documentary aspects of Korda’s practice continue to be referenced in research on state photography, image circulation, and authorship within revolutionary contexts.
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Korda
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