A Cuban gentleman between the Milanese Navigli and the Venetian lagoon. Alejandro Alonso and the art of revolutionary cubanía

In my contribution, I aim to trace the vital and scholarly trajec-tory of an outstanding Cuban intellectual. A scholar sui generis, a master malgré lui.
Alejandro Alonso (1935-2017) was a Cuban journalist and a critic of art, film, and ballet. He founded and directed the Museum of Artistic Ceramics in Havana and published several monographs, including Cosas y casas de Cuba. Habana Deco, Alfredo Sosabravo, Amelia Peláez.
Of Spanish descent, he was in love with his island, despite flaunting old-fashioned manners and clothes. Many mourned him, for when he was a friend he was a true friend. Already bound with the University of Milan, his visit to Venice in 2010, invited by Ca’ Foscari, and to Friuli, at the invitation of the uni-versity of Udine, was the last of many.
In conclusion, a remembrance of his faithful friend and col-laborator Pedro Contreras (1943-2011).