Manuel Chong Neto was a Panamanian artist born in Panama City on November 16, 1927, and died on May 23, 2010 from a stroke. Neto showed interest in drawing and painting from a very young age. When he was 19, Neto became an Arts teacher at the Liceo de Panamá Girls and continued teaching art for over twenty-five years. Neto was teaching "one of his greatest professional satisfactions. Neto entered the National School of Arts in Panama. In 1965, he left Panama to attend the National School of Arts in Mexico and the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City. During his stay in Mexico, Neto became interested in graphic arts and became one of the most influential graphic artists. While Neto was in Mexico, he met his wife, Alma, and was introduced to a style of painting called "Chongnetian women." The Chongnetian women were beautiful and voluptuous, representing their idea of Latin American sensuality. "Gorditas" by Neto became the most recognizable song in his work. Some of them were meant to be sophisticated, and others were meant to expose the woman's sexuality. Besides his "gorditas," Neto is known for his still lives and urban landscapes. He participated in several biennial exhibitions, including the Bienal de Arte Latinoamericano at the University of Eastern Tennessee (1970,) the Bienal Coltejar in Medellín, Colombia (1973), and the Bienal de São Paulo (1982). The Museo Ralli Marbella holds his art in a permanent exhibition.