Rita Longa Aróstegui (June 14, 1912, Havana, Cuba — May 29, 2000, Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban sculptor.
She first studied commercial art and later briefly attended the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts but considered herself largely self-taught. She worked in bronze, marble and tile.
"Rhythm, movement, grace, refinement and elegance are some of the qualities that define the organic quality of the pieces created by this artist."[1]
Influenced by Art Deco, Longa created works that have become symbols of the environment to which they belong. Her Los Venados (1947), depicting a family of deer, stands at the entrance to the Havana Zoo. The marble Ballerina (1950) presides over the entrance of the internationally known Tropicana Cabaret Club. A bronze sculpture of the Indian chief Hatuey (1953) became the symbol of Hatuey beer found all over Cuba.
Perhaps Longa's best known work is her modernist sculpture Shape, Space and Light (1953), positioned at the main entrance of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana.[1][2]