Caroline of Monaco, Princess of Hanover, who is visiting Cuba as part of the Monte Carlo Ballet performances, donated a painting by the artist Oswaldo Guayasamín this Saturday to the museum displaying the Ecuadorian artist’s work in Havana.
It is a painting that the artist known as the “painter of Ibero-America” made for Caroline Grimaldi when she was young and later gave to her father, Sovereign Prince Rainier III of Monaco, according to Prensa Latina news agency.
The agency itself stated that the princess inherited the work in 2005 after her father’s death and decided to bring it to Cuba now, as she knew about the Guayasamín House Museum on the island.
Caroline discovered this institution ten years ago on her first visit to Cuba, while walking through Old Havana. On that occasion, she also traveled to the Cuban capital with the Monte Carlo Ballet, a company she refounded and of which she is a benefactor, according to Prensa Latina.
One of those attending Saturday’s event was the current president of the Guayasamín Foundation, Alfredo Che Vera Guayasamín, the artist’s grandson, who recounted that his grandfather painted Caroline of Monaco in just two days.
Also present at the Havana institution were the Ecuadorian ambassador to Cuba, José María Borja, and the director of the National Ballet of Cuba, Viengsay Valdés.
Meeting with Díaz-Canel
As part of her visit, the European princess was received by Miguel Díaz-Canel in a “cordial” meeting, in which her daughter, Alexandra of Hanover, also participated, according to images released by the presidency in X.
“We want to express our deep appreciation for all the intentions and efforts of the Royal House of Monaco, and in particular yours, to strengthen relations and cultural ties between Cuba and the Principality of Monaco,” the Cuban president told Caroline, according to Cubadebate.
Díaz-Canel expressed to Her Royal Highness that he is aware of her interest in childhood issues and took the opportunity to extend his greetings to Prince Albert II of Monaco, to whom he reiterated an invitation to the island.
Un país, aunque pequeño, puede hacer grandes cosas. Su Alteza Real Carolina, Princesa de Mónaco y de Hannover, expresó esa hermosa idea pensando en su nación y la nuestra, durante cordial encuentro que hemos sostenido en La Habana, a diez años de que nos visitara por vez primera. pic.twitter.com/KV3afdameO
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) May 17, 2025
During the meeting, the princess stated that it is an honor to be back in Cuba ten years after her first visit. “We established very beautiful ties, both with the National Ballet and the National Dance School; and over these ten years, we have strengthened those ties of cooperation.
“We have seen all the wealth that Cuba has with its youth, especially the youth involved in cultural and artistic projects; and through the language of dance, which is universal, we have been able to strengthen our ties and provide support for the development of dance in Cuba,” she noted.
The Monte Carlo Ballet premiered the first of three performances of the piece Core Meu (My Heart) this Friday at the National Theater of Cuba, in a gala that marked its return to the island’s stages ten years after its first performance.
The company, chaired by Caroline Grimaldi and artistically directed by former French dancer Jean-Christophe Maillot, presented the work with live music by Italian composer Antonio Castrignanò.
Un país, aunque pequeño, puede hacer grandes cosas. Su Alteza Real Carolina, Princesa de Mónaco y de Hannover, expresó esa hermosa idea pensando en su nación y la nuestra, durante cordial encuentro que hemos sostenido en La Habana, a diez años de que nos visitara por vez primera. pic.twitter.com/KV3afdameO
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) May 17, 2025
These performances by the European company are in collaboration with the Cubadisco 2025 International Music Industry Fair, scheduled from May 18 to 25, where it will receive the Honorary Award, the event’s highest award.
The European company is a classical dance ensemble made up of 50 dancers founded in 1936 and revived in 1985 at the behest of Princess Caroline of Monaco, who also accompanied it on its first trip to Cuba.
With information from EFE
