Almada Negreiros
- Known for:
- art, literature
- Fun fact(s):
- He had a very distinctive signature – "almada" with an elongated d ()
About
José de Almada Negreiros was one of the most influential figures of Portuguese modernism and played a central role in bringing avant-garde artistic ideas to the country in the early 20th century. A painter, writer, poet, and choreographer, he worked across an extraordinary range of mediums, from murals and engravings to tapestries, mosaics, azulejo, and stained glass.
Born in São Tomé in 1893, he was sent to Lisbon as a child after his mother died. In 1915, alongside Fernando Pessoa and Mário de Sá-Carneiro, he helped launch the revolutionary literary magazine Orpheu. Though the magazine only had two issues, it marked the beginning of modernism in Portugal.
Beyond literature, Almada left a powerful visual mark across Lisbon.
- His famous portrait of Fernando Pessoa can be seen at Casa Fernando Pessoa in Campo de Ourique
- His tapestries, sgraffito on marble, and a tile panel at the Four Seasons hotel
- The mural Começar at Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, as well as a large collection of his Paintings at the Gulbenkian Modern Art Centre
- of course his monumental murals at the maritime stations Gare Marítima de Alcântara and Gare Marítima da Rocha do Conde de Óbidos
To learn more about Almada Negreiros, visit the interpretation centre at Gare Marítima de Alcântara, which tells the story behind the mural paintings and the context in which they were created.