Cuba has been teeming with artists since its cash-starved government encouraged art in the late 1980s as a way to bring in foreign currency. The 53-year-long US trade embargo on Cuba has done little to promote strong relationships between the American and the Cuban art communities and markets. And the Cuban art scene is still dominated by government galleries. As relations between Washington and Havana normalize, Cuba is fast becoming the newest, hottest center for collectors on a budget and wealthy buyers alike. The market is in its infancy, yet it is about to bring Cuba to the forefront of global media exposure and popular culture trends.