Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Manuel Lamar Cuervo Collection
Date(s)
- circa 1960s-2000s (Creation)
Extent
3 Boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
Manuel Lamar Cuervo (b. 1929) was born in Bogotá, Colombia to a Cuban diplomatic family. His stay in Colombia was brief as he left at six years of age for Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1951 he moved from Montevideo, Uruguay to Havana, Cuba, where he would live for many years and where he would create his well-known comic strip and animated cartoon Matojo on February 17, 1964.
Before he dedicated his life to the arts, Cuervo studied diplomatic law and journalism at the University of Havana. He was offered a position as consul in Puerto Cortés, Honduras but the post never materialized. After spending some time working in bureaucratic positions, he became a filmmaker and a caricaturist. Cuervo was working for the magazine Mellawriting sports related humor when he was asked to do a comic strip, which then became Matojo. Cuervo moved to Miami in 1992 where he has continued his artistic career.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Manuel Lamar Cuervo collection contains original hand-drawn drafts by Cuban artist Manuel Lamar Cuervo (b. 1929) for his comic strips, Matojo, Patricia, Pasatiempos, Lucas Rengifo, Matojo y Lucas, and Adivinanzas. Original work by artists Manuel Hernández Dedeté, Ares, Anvec, Carlucho, Cristóbal Reinoso, Rogelio Naranjo, and Quino are also included in this collection.
The collection contains finished versions of the comic strips Patricia and English and Spanish versions of Matojo, Cuervo’s most well-known artistic endeavors. The collection also contains artwork from Cuervo’s numerous other comics, both in English and Spanish. Clippings about the comic Matojo and of Cuervo, along with photographs of Cuervo and typed articles written by Cuervo, document Cuervo’s long career as an artist.
Audiovisual materials include documentaries on Fidelio Ponce de León and Wifredo Lam, for which Cuervo served as a collaborator.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please contact chc@miami.edu for more information.
Preferred citation: Manuel Lamar Cuervo Collection, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.
Languages of the material
- Spanish
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Manuel Lamar Cuervo, July 2014.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Box-level record by Natalie Baur and Rahid Chadid, September 2014. Updated by Rebeca Gonzalez, May 2021.