Cuban Painter Eduardo Roca Salazar (Choco), National Prize of Plastic Arts, Has Died

April 21, 2026

Renowned Cuban painter and engraver Eduardo Roca Salazar, known worldwide by his artistic name Choco, passed away on Thursday, April 17, 2026, at the age of 76. The artist, born in Santiago de Cuba in 1949, received the National Prize of Plastic Arts in 2017, the highest state recognition in that field in Cuba.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel paid tribute on social media, describing him as a "master and outstanding creator of an unmistakable style" and an "ingenious experimenter who elevated collagraphy to the forefront of demanding Cuban plastic arts." He also called him "the indomitable son of Santiago, with open doors and a heart shared between the Homeland, his family, and his friends." Floral offerings on behalf of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz also accompanied the posthumous tribute.

Funeral services were held at the Casa Vitier-García Marruz in Old Havana, attended by Alpidio Alonso Grau, Minister of Culture, Marta Bonet de la Cruz, president of the Cuban Union of Writers and Artists (UNEAC), as well as family members and colleagues from the artistic community.

Choco was a pioneer of collagraphy in Cuba, a technique he explored with a distinctive visual signature deeply rooted in Cuban cultural identity. He graduated from the School for Art Instructors in 1965 and from the National School of Art in 1970. His work is held in museum collections in Cuba, Sweden, the United States, Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Japan, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, among other countries.