Born on June 26, 1937, in Lisbon, João Cutileiro resided and worked in Évora, where a portion of his artwork has been exhibited since 1985. He held his first solo exhibition, "Artistic Attempts," in 1951 at the age of 14 in Reguengos de Monsaraz. The exhibition showcased his sculptures, paintings, watercolors, and ceramics. Cutileiro began his artistic journey in the studios of various masters and, after a brief period at the School of Fine Arts in Lisbon, he enrolled at the Slade School of Art in London, recommended by Paula Rego, where he obtained his diploma. In the 1960s, Cutileiro returned to Portugal and subverted the traditional canons of the Estado Novo statuary, engaging in public space with urban art projects characterized by experimentation. One of his notable works is the Monument to the 25th of April, located in Parque Eduardo VII in Lisbon, along with many other pieces. His sculptural work, predominantly focused on intimacy, eroticism, and love, is highly regarded both in Portugal and abroad, characterized by the use of marble. His sculpture of D. Sebastião in Lagos, created in 1970 as an act of defiance against the Estado Novo, remains his most controversial work. In 1988, he held exhibitions in Almancil, Macau, and Lisbon, followed by new exhibitions in Almancil and the capital of Portugal the following year. In 1990, he presented a retrospective of his art at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. Cutileiro was honored with the Order of Saint James of the Sword, Officer's Grade, in August 1983. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Évora and the New University of Lisbon, the latter being granted in 2017. On January 5, 2021, at the age of 83, João Cutileiro passed away in Lisbon.