Roel Caboverde Yacer - Biography

Roel Caboverde Yácer was born in Baracoa on November 20, 1947, to Balvino Caboverde and Hermelina Yácer Ortiz, both campesinos. He remained in that charming coastal village throughout his childhood and attended a public school.

He subsequently moved to Moa, where he demonstrated an obvious talent for painting, initially concentrating mostly on landscapes and graphics. From the time he was a teenager he loved sport fishing, which he did on weekends.

Caboverde began his working life as a graphic designer, while continuing to paint and fish in his free time. As the years passed, he completed a considerable number of canvasses in his studio.

In 1970 his artistic work was becoming known, and as a result he held his first one-man show in Moa. From this time on, he devoted himself to depicting the surrounding environment in his landscapes.

In 1983, when he was living in Baracoa once again, Caboverde began studying at Guantánamo's School of Fine Art, where he graduated as a visual arts instructor. His technique reached a new stage of development as he created his own personal style.

Currently he paints in a neocubist style, in which the human figure is transformed, using particular color combinations to depict childhood and adolescent memories of rural scenes and fishing, the sugar harvest and love. His paintings are exhibited in Spain, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Sweden, France, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Caboverde has recently attracted international attention, resulting in his first one-man show abroad in 1999 in Spain. In the year 2000 he had shows in Paris, France, and in Asheville, North Carolina (United States).

He currently resides in Baracoa, where he is an art teacher at the municipal cultural center, instructing children, youths and adults.

Gallery Shows

• 1975 José Martí Gallery-Theater
• 1982 Primero de Abril competition
• 1984 National Visual Arts Event
• 1985 National Visual Arts Encounter
• 1987 One-man show, Moa
• 1989 International exhibition
• 1995 Collective show in Moa
• 1997 Primero de Abril competition
• 1997 May Festival (Holguín)
• 1998 Pubillones provincial competition
• 1999 One-man show, Spain
• 1999 One-man show, United States
• 1999 International Caribbean Festival of Fire, Santiago de Cuba
• 2000 One-man show, France
• 2003-2004 Meridian International Center, Washington, D.C.
• 2003-2004 Lighthouse Center for the Arts, Tequesta, Florida