José Santa-Bárbara, visual artist, designer and PCP militant, has died

José Santa-Bárbara, a visual artist, designer and member of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), passed away on Tuesday, April 28. Born in 1936 in Caldas da Rainha, he studied at the António Arroio School of Decorative Arts and later sculpture at the School of Fine Arts. The PCP noted his extensive career, which included public sculpture, painting, medal design, and industrial design—most notably his thirty-year tenure leading the design department at CP (Portuguese Railways), where he created the company's logo and designed locomotives that won national and European awards. He also contributed artistic interventions to several Lisbon Metro and railway stations and designed numerous album covers for José Afonso and other prominent musicians. The PCP highlighted his lifelong commitment to the party, his early resistance to fascism through the MUD Juvenil, and his consistent participation in party-organised cultural events.