Last 16 May was inaugurated at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, the exhibition “Siza”, which will be patent there at the Main Gallery and Temporary Exhibition Gallery from 17 May to 26 August 2024.
The exhibition is dedicated to the work of the Portuguese Pritzker Prize architect Álvaro Siza, bringing together original material from his archives as well as a series of reference works for his practice.
Focused on the role of drawing in Siza Vieira’s work, one of the most important figures in the history of architecture in Portugal, and one of the great living names in modern architecture and urbanism worldwide, the exhibition features original material, drawings, working plans, final plans, photographs, design pieces, as well as works by other artists who are part of the constellation of his personal, artistic, and professional references.
Curated by the Spanish architect, critic, and curator Carlos Quintáns Eiras – responsible for the Spanish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2016, winner of the Golden Lion – this exhibition aims to cover all creative aspects of Siza’s career. To achieve this, it will draw upon archives deposited at the Serralves Foundation, the CCA – Canadian Centre for Architecture, the British center Drawing Matter, as well as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the architect’s own studio.
According to Carlos Quintáns Eiras, “The number of projects, drawings, and documents he produced hampers any analysis of his work. Siza Vieira’s creations have been featured in many exhibitions to date, in an attempt to define a way of delimiting the narrative of his work, but the publications that present it are even more numerous, while academic studies on the subject become increasingly important. There have been different approaches to researching his work; however, until now, every research has been restricted to a single creation or a small group of projects, a territory, a particular time frame, or a specific use.
This atlas of Siza Vieira is an analysis of his work based on thirty concepts; some are more autonomous than others since they can be partially included in different categories. Each concept is presented over several years and in various ways: from sketches in Siza’s notebooks through an analysis of the technical drawings for three separate projects. This selection ensures that the presence of unbuilt or poorly preserved works is truly significant. It encompasses the analysis of ninety works, many of which were photographed by Juan Rodríguez. Each project can be observed through the lens of several concepts, and the recurrence of the creative themes over time becomes apparent: these are not only addressed differently, the intensity in which they’re applied also varies considerably.
His buildings contain his furniture, his drawings, and his sculptures. From his very first projects, Siza started to design the chairs, tables, or lamps he needed, and this process continued and revealed itself in both the physical objects and the drawings required to build them, demonstrating how Siza’s work is a complete endeavour, a practice in which he doesn’t neglect any creative aspect.”
More about the exhibition on the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s website
A selection of works by Álvaro Siza can be seen at MoMoVe: link.
Further, Docomomo Portugal’s chair, Ana Tostões, has been involved in two research projects dedicated to Álvaro Siza’s work:
– Critical Monumentality of Álvaro Siza
– Siza Barroque
A Getty Foundation Keeping it Modern funding was also attributed to the conservation and maintenance project of the Leça da Palmeira Swimming Pool, supported by Docomomo International