A letter from an alumnus about Havana, February 12, 2003 issue

March 7, 2003

Having followed the work of Andrew Moore '79 for some time, I was delighted to see it featured not only in a PAW article but on the cover (February 12, 2003). He is one of a handful of photographers whose large-scale images are further blurring the distinctions between photography and painting. I'm sure it is bad form in journalistic canons to mention the commercial side of an artist's life in an article, but for those who would like to see Andrew's work in all its large-scale glory, it can be found at top-notch photo galleries on both coasts: Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco and Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York City's Chelsea District. His recent, quite spectacular work from Russia was recently shown at both galleries. I am sure that if you ask, the people at the gallery would be delighted to pull them from the bins to see.

And if I might be permitted one additional crass comment. The traveling shows of large-scale photographers Thomas Struth and Andreas Gursky are at their NYC and SF venues, respectively, currently, and are getting great press. Individual works by these artists sell at galleries and auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Andrew Moore's works are every bit as beautiful and well-conceived, but sell for a fraction of that.

Larry Kurtz ’72
Mill Valley, Calif.

(For purposes of full disclosure, I do not own any work by Andrew Moore, nor do I have any connection to the galleries I reference in the letter, but I have been eyeing/coveting a couple of images for several months.)

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February 17, 2003

It was a pleasure to see the artful pictures of "decaying splendor" in Havana by Andrew Moore '79 included in the Feb 12 issue of PAW. Too bad, however, that Mr. Moore chose not to take - or the PAW chose not to include - any artful pictures of "healthy and thriving splendor" in Havana. Having been there, I can say for a fact that Havana is a fascinating mix of both.
But perhaps any such pictures would too much offend our dreamy post-colonial nostalgia. After all, it's a lot more satisfying to stay pre-occupied by all those 50s Chevys - and more generally by how much Havana has lost without the patronage of the U.S. - than it is to try to see and understand the city's complex but vital reality.

Marina Skumanich '80
Seattle, Wash.

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February 13, 2003

Re: Inside Havana (Photgraphs by Andrew Moore ’79)

This is a truly beautiful book. The Class of ’79 is doubly represented. The excellent introduction of Cuban architect Eduardo Luis Rodriguez was translated from the Spanish by Alison Hughes ’79.

John B. Hughes ’47
Princeton, N.J.

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