It’s a barbershop, it’s an art project, it’s a historical museum. Papito’s Arte Corte is a little bit of everything. Barber-proprietor-curator Gilberto Valldares, also known as Papito, runs this quaint spot in Old Havana, where visitors can have their hair cut or receive some other beauty treatment, all surrounded by objects, artifacts and memorabilia that tell the history of hair care—and Cuban hair care in particular. In addition to displaying vintage barber chairs and dozens upon dozens of brushes, razors and other tools of the trade, Papito’s is decorated floor-to-ceiling with paintings, many of which are Daliesque surrealist-inspired works depicting—what else?—hair and haircutting across time and space.
