Luís Soares

Luís Soares was born on August 22, 1952, in Maputo, Mozambique. Descending from settlers, he was exposed from an early age to the unique blend of white, black, and Asian cultures that characterized Mozambique at the time. These cultural and aesthetic experiences greatly influenced his artistic life.
In 1959, he visited Europe for the first time, exploring Spain and Portugal.
As a self-taught artist, he dedicated himself to drawing, pastel, watercolor, and gouache from a young age. The artist António Heleno, who was his teacher in high school, played a crucial role in fueling his passion for drawing.
In 1968, he attended drawing courses at the Drawing and Painting School of the Núcleo de Arte in Lourenço Marques, where he created his first oil paintings.
In 1969, he enrolled as a student at the Nun’Alvares College in Tomar, Portugal.
Returning to Mozambique, in 1974 he held his first major exhibition at Casa Amarela, with support from the Municipal Council of Lourenço Marques. He also exhibited at Casa Africana in Lourenço Marques and participated in an exhibition and auction in support of political prisoners. During this period, he created his first sculptures cast in bronze and aluminum.
In 1976, he learned to create pottery on a wheel at the Matola Pottery near Lourenço Marques. He used the then-abandoned Núcleo de Arte as a studio for painting and ceramics, along with his colleague and friend Lobo Fernandes.
He participated in the Exhibition of the 1st Anniversary of Mozambique’s Independence.
In 1977, he exhibited at Galerie La Passerelle de S. Louis in Paris and at the Holliday Inn in Mbabane. In Lisbon, at Gravura, he had his first contacts with printmaking techniques.
As a grantee of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for printmaking, he received technical guidance from João Hogan at the Portuguese Cooperative Society of Engravers – GRAVURA in 1979. In 1980, he created tile panels at Fábrica Viúva Lamego and had his first encounters with Portuguese faience, which captivated him.
Since 1974, he has been exhibiting internationally, participating