“Cuba: Contemporary Art” (Overlook) is the next best thing to attending the 11th Havana Biennial, now in progress. With 500 color images of works by some 50 living artists, this coffee table book is a compelling survey of the island nation’s creative spirit. Many of the artists offer sharp political commentary, and their creations provide a fascinating window on a nation long estranged from the United States. In a provocative refashioning of everyday objects, toothpaste tubes and rationing books assume humanlike poses in the hands of René Francisco Rodríguez, an admirer of the German artist Joseph Beuys.

JAN GARDNER