Although professional ballet has had a relatively short history in the Iberian Peninsula, there have been a number of performers who have sought to elevate this art form, including Graça Barroso. Considered one of the finest Portuguese dancers of her generation, the former principal dancer for Ballet Gulbenkian and founder of Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo died in Lisbon on June 11, aged 62 after a long illness. The niece of actress and activist Maria Barroso, Graça was born in Lisbon and trained with Anna Ivanova and David Boswell at the Escola do Teatro de São Carlos. By 1968 she was working with choreographer Walter Gore at the Ballet Gulbenkian. She left Portugal for … [Read more...] about Graça Barroso: Portugal’s “complete” dancer
About C.S. Ogden
Portugal stakes a claim at Colombian book fair
Portugal is the guest country at the International Book Fair in Bogotá (also known as FILBo), which opens this month, reflecting an upsurge in interest in Portuguese-language literature. José Luís Peixoto and Inês Pedrosa, both young Portuguese authors, are among the 23 writers who will feature at the Colombian event. Works by legendary figures such as Fernando Pessoa, Luís Vaz de Camões and Eça de Queirós will also feature, as well as that of the more contemporary José Saramago and António Lobo Antunes. According to Público newspaper, over 30,000 books will be available within a 3,000-square-meter pavilion. Exhibits include Lisbon Ground, first shown at the Venice Biennale of … [Read more...] about Portugal stakes a claim at Colombian book fair
Lisbon’s multimedia maestro Eduardo Nery
With its long history of azulejaria, or tilework, and decorative calçada, it could be argued that Lisbon’s soul is illustrated along its walls and cobblestones. One of its best known illustrators was multimedia artist Eduardo Nery, who died in Lisbon on March 2, aged 74. With a writer mother and engineer father, Nery was born in Figueira da Foz and grew up in Lisbon. He attended the Escola Superior de Belas Artes de Lisboa, majoring in painting and also studying architecture and museum conservation. He worked with French tapestry artist Jean Lurçat at Saint-Céré during the 1960s and Nery’s diverse education is reflected in a career that combined photography, painting, glasswork, … [Read more...] about Lisbon’s multimedia maestro Eduardo Nery
Berardo brings Buddha to Lisbon
According to a recent article in The Art Newspaper, Portuguese entrepreneur and financier José Berardo has commissioned additions inspired by the Bamiyan Valley Buddhas for his Buddha Eden Garden, north of Lisbon. Six thousand tons of stone sculptures carved by sculptors based in Shijiazhuang, China, have been commissioned for the park (that being the approximate weight of the Bamiyan Buddhas) and the creation of the garden itself was prompted by the destruction of the Buddhas in central Afghanistan in 2001. The garden contains a number of large-scale Asian sculptures scattered over 35 hectares at the Quinta dos Loridos, Bombarral, including terracotta warriors based on those that guarded … [Read more...] about Berardo brings Buddha to Lisbon
The wisdom of doubt: Álvaro Siza
This year’s Venice Biennale of Architecture, called Common Ground has drawn attention not only through its various exhibits but also in regards to the critical writings surrounding the show. Exhibition director and British architect David Chipperfield had chosen the title Common Ground as a means of addressing the “apparent lack of understanding that exists between the profession and society.” Even with a broad-based title, this latest Biennale may mark a turning point after a period of exhibitions focusing on celebrated designers and showpiece buildings. Furthermore, the decision to award Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira its lifetime achievement award could be pointing to a … [Read more...] about The wisdom of doubt: Álvaro Siza
Vasconcelos finds a Baroque home in Versailles
Lisbon-based Joana Vasconcelos is the latest artist to be featured at the annual contemporary art exhibition at the Palace of Versailles, France. Joana Vasconcelos Versailles includes a number of works, including site-specific pieces, within the state apartments and gardens of the Baroque palace. Born in Paris, Vasconcelos studied art in Lisbon, where she now lives and works. She has won a number of prizes including the Prémio EDP Novos Artistas in 2000 and the Fundação Berardo’s The Winner Takes it All in 2006, resulting in Néctar, which sits at the entrance of the Museu Colecção Berardo in Lisbon. She captured international attention with her participation at the 2005 Venice Biennale … [Read more...] about Vasconcelos finds a Baroque home in Versailles
Miró and co. still in demand despite the crisis
On the heels of a successful Art Basel show in Switzerland in June, Europe’s largest auction houses have started their own summer selling seasons with some strong results. One of the highlights of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Sale in London on June 19, 2012, was a worldwide record set for Joan Miró’s Peinture (Étoile Bleue), c.1927. The painting sold for £23.5 million, well over pre-sale estimates of £15-20 million and three times its price when it last sold at auction in 2007. Other works by Miró that fared well at the auction included a later gouache, Tête, that sold for over £260,000, exceeding its estimates of £150-200,000. There were also a handful of Salvador Dalí and … [Read more...] about Miró and co. still in demand despite the crisis
A turbulent history of Madrid’s towers of crisis
With the Spanish government accepting an EU bailout offer of up to €100 billion to recapitalize its ailing banking system, images of the country’s major financial institutions have been flashed repeatedly across global news reports. Perhaps the most displayed image has been that of the headquarters of Realia and troubled bank Bankia: a pair of towers that lean dramatically over the Paseo de la Castellana, a major Madrid thoroughfare. The Puerta de Europa towers were designed by the American firm of Johnson/Burgee Architects. Philip Johnson (1906-2005) had been an early proponent of the International Style, introducing Americans to European architects such as Mies van der Rohe and Le … [Read more...] about A turbulent history of Madrid’s towers of crisis
Bilbao celebrates 15 years of Guggenheim-inspired transformation
When Frank O. Gehry won a limited competition to design Bilbao’s new art museum in the early 1990s, the idea was to turn an old brick factory along a bend in the Nervión River into a cultural focal point for a city that had seen its traditional industries, such as shipbuilding and mining, virtually disappear by the late 20th century. Gehry had designed the Fish (1992) sculpture for Barcelona’s Port Olímpic, utilizing computer-aided design (his first use of CAD for a major project) to model its sweeping curves. In Bilbao, he would employ similar methods, resulting in what appear to be random organic forms (reminiscent of billowing sails) with the combination of seemingly incongruous … [Read more...] about Bilbao celebrates 15 years of Guggenheim-inspired transformation
Iberian architecture builds a modern legacy
Recently, the widely read architectural website ArchDaily released its Buildings of the Year 2011 report and several winners from its categories are based in Iberia, including the MIMA House (MIMA Architects) in Viana do Castelo and Barcelona’s iGuzzini Illuminazione España H.Q. (MiAS Arquitectes). This, alongside Eduardo Souto de Moura’s 2011 Pritzker Prize win (architecture’s most prestigious award) raises the question: why is Portuguese and Spanish contemporary architecture garnering so much attention all of a sudden? Perhaps the attention may not be so sudden after all. By the time Portugal and Spain entered the EU in 1986, both countries had emerged from a period of architecture … [Read more...] about Iberian architecture builds a modern legacy