# Kcho artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/kcho/
Profile generated: 2026-05-14T19:12:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Cuban
- Movements: Contemporary Cuban art
- Common media: sculpture, installation art, mixed media

## About Kcho

Kcho, born Alexis Leyva Machado in 1970 in Nueva Gerona on the Isle of Pines (now Isla de la Juventud), Cuba, is a contemporary sculptor and installation artist recognized internationally for his mixed-media work. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes "San Alejandro" in Havana, graduating in 1990. Kcho gained widespread attention in 1995 when he received the Grand Prize at the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea and the UNESCO Prize in the same year, establishing him as one of the most prominent Cuban artists of his generation. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among other institutions. Collectors encounter Kcho's pieces in the contemporary and Latin American art markets, where his sculptures and installations attract institutional and private interest alike.

## Common works and media

Kcho commonly works in sculpture and large-scale installation using mixed-media and found materials. Collectors may encounter freestanding sculptural pieces, wall-based assemblages, and immersive installation works at auction. His practice bridges contemporary and Latin American art categories, and works may range from smaller editioned pieces to unique, site-specific constructions.

## Market and appraisal context

Kcho's auction presence is supported by strong institutional credentials, including MoMA collection holdings and major biennale prizes. Collectors should note that his output spans sculpture, installation, and mixed-media works, meaning that medium, dimensions, materials, provenance, and edition status all play a role in appraisal. Specific auction results, sale dates, and comparable lots should be reviewed case by case, as the available source pack does not include detailed price records.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum, library-authority, and biographical sources with available auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. For Kcho, identity and biographical data are grounded in MoMA, Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata records; market data draws on Appraisily and Invaluable auction inputs when those records are available.

## Sources

- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/7490
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/410111
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/52554901/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500124632
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1737637
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kcho
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no99016963