ROSA LOWINGER, art conservator, writer. (born in Havana) ** Rosa Lowinger, arts, writer. (nacida en la Habana)Rosa Lowinger is a noted Cuban-born American art conservator and writer. She is the author of “Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub”, and various articles on modern art and architecture.
Lowinger is an alumnus of Brandeis University, receiving a bachelor of arts in fine arts and art history in 1978. She received a master of arts in art history and a certificate in art conservation from the New York University Institute of
FINE ARTS.
Lowinger is considered a leader in the field of conservation of built heritage, a subject which includes art, architecture, museum collections and public spaces.
She remained active as the firm’s senior conservator through 2008, supervising most of its large scale architectural projects, most notably the conservation of Helen Lundeberg’s “History of Transportation” mural in Inglewood, CA.
In 2008 she was awarded the 2008–2009 Rome Prize in Conservation from the American Academy in Rome to research the history of vandalism against art and public space.
As a writer, Lowinger’s most notable achievement is “Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub”, a non-fiction account of Cuba’s celebrated 1950s nightclub. Published in 2005, and co-authored by Ofelia Fox, widow of Tropicana’s owner Martin Fox, Tropicana Nights is considered the definitive book on Havana’s nightlife in the pre-Castro era and the source of much original material used in other books about the period. Lowinger’s research on the Mafia’s involvement in Havana’s casinos has led to her being a lead source in The History Channel’s Declassified:Godfathers of Havana. Lowinger is also author “The Encanto File”, a play about blackmail in Miami that was produced at the Judith Anderson Theater by the Women’s Project and Productions and numerous articles on contemporary Cuban art.
Lowinger is an associate editor of the University of Pennsylvania’s architectural conservation academic journal “Change Over Time” and writes under the pseudonym of The Art Nurse on art blog c-monster.net’s conservation question and answer section.She also reviews books for the web magazine Truthdig.com.
HONORS.
2008 – Rome Prize in Conservation from the American Academy in Rome 2008–2009 to research the history of vandalism against art and public space.
2008 – Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award for Conservation of History of Transportation, a 240-foot petrachrome WPA mural by Helen Lundeberg in Inglewood, California.
2005 – Amistad Foundation, Cross-cultural understanding award for “Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub”.
2001 – Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award for Conservation of Vanishing Race, a 1930 cast-stone Works Progress Administration sculpture.
2000 – Getty Preserve L.A. Award For Assessment of damage to History of Transportation, mural.
1998 – California Preservation Foundation for conservation of Portal of the Folded Wings, 1926 cast stone and ceramic tile aviation monument in Burbank, California.
1997 – Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award For conservation of Portal of the Folded Wings.
Agencies/Various/Wiki/InternetPhotos/www.thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.