To be modern is just like being elegant: it is not a style of dressing, but a way of being. To be modern is not to use the modern calligraphy, but to be the genuine discoverer of the new.
José de Almada Negreiros, conference O Desenho [Drawing], Madrid, 1927
From 2nd February on, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation presents an exhibition exclusively dedicated to the Portuguese modern artist Almada Negreiros. The exhibition entitled "José de Almada Negreiros: a way of being Modern" presents a retrospective to Almada's work, a propelling artist of the avant-garde in the 1910s and whose career spanned the 20th century.
The exhibition entitled "José de Almada Negreiros: a way of being Modern" presents a retrospective to Almada's work. Almada Negreiros was a propelling artist of the avant-garde in the 1910s and whose career spanned the 20th century.
The exhibition includes a large selection of paintings, drawings, and documentary photography, summing up the complex, paradoxical and hybrid condition of modernity.
As an artist, Almada Negreiros embodied the full notion of the modern artist, mastering many crafts. He was a charismatic and controversial artist too. Himself part of the show, visible in his work pieces and way to present himself.
Throughout his career, Almada Negreiros partnered with architects, musicians, writers, publishers and stage directors. The exhibition reveals testimonies upon the importance of film and graphic narrative in Almada's work.
At the hotel, you can see live four of the most impressive Almada Negreiros' works.
Gracing the lounge at lobby level named after the artist himself, Almada Negreiros’ Centaur trilogy of Portalegre tapestries was inspired by the constellation Centaurs. The artist’s inspiration by Picasso and his relish of geometry are clearly visible in the three artworks - in the centaurs’ exhibitionist pose, provocative posture and their embrace.
The mesmerizing marble mural Sgraffito work A Ceifeira (The Harvest) is also undoubtedly one of the Hotel’s hallmarks.
Other notable works by the artist who referred to himself a futurist artist, can be found in the nearby Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Museum of Contemporary National Art in Chiado.
