Che Guevara image by Irish artist removed from US airport
The poster was part of the Irish in Latin America exhibition, sponsored by the Irish embassy in the US, to highlight the connection between Latin America and Ireland, and coincide with the opening of a direct route between Dublin and Miami.
The Miami Herald reported that the poster had been removed from the airport’s E terminal within hours of being erected.
“He was not at the airport for even 12 hours,” said Greg Chin, director of communications at the airport.
The Irish embassy said the Che poster was not supposed to be included in the exhibit.
“It was removed as soon as we discovered the error this morning,” said Carol Jordan, communications officer at the consulate of Ireland.
“We fully understand the sensitivity and deeply regret the error.”
The exhibit is divided into the various countries in Latin America that have welcomed immigrants from Ireland.
While Guevara was born in Argentina, his Irish ancestry comes from his paternal grandmother, Ana Isabel Lynch.
The iconic image of the guerilla fighter was created in 1968 by Mr Fitzpatrick based on a meeting he had with him in 1961 and inspired by the photography of Alberto Korda.
Mr Fitzpatrick told the Irish Examiner he was startled to see such censorship.
“It’s unfortunate that in the land of the free, in America, where they have a constitutional right to freedom of speech, that it would be removed,” he said.
“The censoring of political images goes way back but to see it in the land of the free is startling.”
Mr Fitzpatrick said he only learned about the poster’s removal from the news.
“I only know as much as I read in the Miami Herald. To me, it was a very noble gesture” that it was included in the exhibition in the first place.”
While he never copyrighted the iconic screenprint, Mr Fitzpatrick has, in recent years, gone about reclaiming the copyright in order to hand over ownership to the Guevara family.
In 2013, he handed over all rights to the image, in a specially drafted legal document, to Aleida Guevara, the eldest daughter of Che.
“I gave two copies of the legal documents to Aleida Guevara signed by me, and I am waiting on the return of one of the documents. I want it sorted and in safe hands,” he said.
“I kept the right to sell limited edition versions on my website and that’s what I’ve done since.”
Mr Fitzpatrick said that what has happened in Miami “pales in comparison” to what is happening to freedom of speech in Ireland.
“I’ve watched the water protests and social media and legal censoring and I think there was more freedom of speech under the Church,” he said. “We didn’t censor the press the way we do now.
“In Ireland, we have moved forward in some ways in terms of gay rights and hopefully we’ll repeal the Eighth Amendment. I am for those things and I am still an Irish Catholic.”
