Born on April 27, 1913, in Caldas da Rainha, João Fragoso was a renowned artist who specialized in sculpture. He graduated from ESBAL with a degree in Sculpture and went on to work and exhibit in Rio de Janeiro from 1941 to 1943. He returned to Lisbon to complete his thesis for the Advanced Sculpture Course. In the 1940s, Fragoso was a scholar at IAC in Madrid and between 1946 and 1953, he participated in the International Watercolor Salon in Madrid.
Fragoso established the Ceramic Studio-School and created various ceramic monuments and reliefs for public spaces. From 1954 to 1958, he began his abstract sculptures in the “Sea Phase,” followed by the “Minimalist Phase” from 1959 to 1962. As the vice-president of the National Society of Fine Arts, Fragoso modernized its services by introducing the first design course in Portugal called “Basic Drawing.” In 1970, he proposed the socio-political movement known as Lisbon 70.
One of Fragoso’s notable works is the monument in honor of Álvaro Martins Homem, which was inaugurated on July 17, 1960, in Praça Velha, Angra do Heroísmo. In 1984, it was relocated to the roundabout of Avenidas Novas, where it stands today. Throughout his career, Fragoso received numerous awards, including the Order of Christ in 1940, 4th and 5th prizes in the competition for the decoration of the Lisbon Bridge, and the Absolute Merit Prize from the Ministry of Social Equipment for the design of the April 25th monument in 1985. From 1963 to 1969, he served as vice-president of SNBA.
João Fragoso passed away on December 28, 2000, in Lisbon, leaving behind a remarkable legacy in the world of art.
