After President Obama's decision to loosen up restrictions on Cuba in mid-December, the idea that the island nation's art scene might heat up caught fire. Art collectors began inquiring about buying from Cuban artists, according to one dealer, and making purchases before Cuba opens up for more tourism and commerce with the U.S.

A handful of American galleries, mostly in Miami and the West Coast, handle Cuban art. Some collectors have traveled to Cuba to knock on artists' studio doors, buying directly. Since 2009, "people-to-people" tours, and "purposeful travel" led by experts such as Caribbean decorative arts specialist Michael Connors, Ph.D., who recently wrote "Havana Modern," have brought small groups of Americans to see Cuba's cultural side.

Artists in Cuba say a gallery network will need to be established, and there are issues with shipping and travel that need to be addressed before a robust art scene can take off.

Cuba is a "world whose artists are cut off from supplies and the Internet and, at the same time, celebrated by a coterie of international buyers...," writes the New York Times. The "pipeline to art lovers is about to grow."