Painting by Rubén SuárezAriguanabo has historically been characterized by its cultural wealth. It has been the birthplace of important figures. During the Neocolonia, the Círculo de Artesanos continued being the center of the cultural activities of the municipality. This institution hosted the first Collective Exhibition of Personal Caricature in Cuba, in 1915, having as protagonists the Ariguanabenses Manuel Alfonso Descalzo and Eduardo Abela Villarreal.
In this center, magazines were founded; theater, declamation and oratory were promoted; and the cinema was introduced. It was prestigious due to the dances with the most famous orchestras and performers of the time. Important figures of the local and national culture, such as the painter Rubén Suárez Quidiello and the sculptors Teodoro Ramón Blanco, Florencio Gelabert and Rita Longa, passed through the halls of the circle and the theater. Varied and valuable works of art were also exhibited, given the close relations with the Círculo de Bellas Artes of Havana.
During the Republic music played an important role in the development of culture. Several groups, bands and soloists stood out, such as Fernando Collazo, who was the protagonist of the musical short film "Maracas y Bongó", the first Cuban sound recording. One of the cultural expressions of masses is the repentismo, a genre cultivated in the territory. Here José Othón López, José Calixto Marichal and Ángel Miguel Valiente Rodríguez stood out.
Within the Plastic Arts, it is important to highlight the development of the humorous line of ariguanabenses caricaturists. During this period two important personages are born, symbols of this town: The Bobo, by Eduardo Abela Villarreal, a symbol of protest against Machado; and El Loquito, by René de la Nuez, a symbol of rebellion against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
Another outstanding figure in the plastic arts and culture of the Villa was Rubén Suárez Quidiello. In 1938 he presented his first personal exhibition of landscapes and in 1953 he won the National Painting Prize.
