Artur Bual

Born in Lisbon in 1926, this artist was one of the greatest Portuguese painters of the second half of the 20th century. He was a pioneer of gestural painting in our country, as well as a sculptor and ceramicist. After attending the School of Decorative Arts António Arroio, he began his career as a painter in 1947. He received a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Paris in 1959/60. His first solo exhibition took place in the early 1950s. He later exhibited in various spaces, such as the Pórtico and Diário de Notícias Galleries in Lisbon, the Gees van der Geer Gallery in the Netherlands, the Ayuntamiento de Córdoba Gallery in Spain, the Real Senado in Macau, and Hong Kong.
Additionally, he held other creative roles, serving as the artistic director for several theater productions at the Teatro Experimental de Cascais and Porto. He was also the graphic director for the “Catavento” Magazine of Arts and Letters, and illustrated the books “Instinto Supremo” by Ferreira de Castro and “As Alegres noites de um Boticário” by Miguel Barbosa. His work is represented in various national and international collections, including the Palácio de Justiça in Lisbon, the Center for Modern Art at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the National Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Municipal Chamber of Amadora. He received several awards throughout his career, including the National Sousa Cardoso Award at the 1st Paris Biennial, the 1st Prize at the Salão de Arte Moderna da Junta de Turismo da Costa do Sol, the 2nd Prize at the BP Painting Competition, the Visual Arts Prize in 1983, and the “Nova Gente” and Visual Arts Prize in 1984. Additionally, in 1997, he was honored with the Career Award from the MAC (Movement of Contemporary Art). He passed away in Amadora in 1999.