The Municipality of Faro approved in a chamber meeting this Monday, April 10th, a vote of condolence for the death of the artist Manuel Baptista.
Born in Faro in 1936, Manuel Baptista dedicated himself to the arts early on, having entered the School of Fine Arts, first for Architecture and later for Painting.
Still in Faro, exhibited in the windows of Livraria Silva and at Círculo Cultural do Algarve in the late 50s, following an aesthetic more oriented towards neorealism. After his academic training, he lived in Paris on a scholarship, having also traveled to Italy and Germany, establishing contacts with numerous renowned artists, collectors and galleries.
In the 60s, he embraces the experience of teaching in Fine Arts, while promoting an intense artistic activity, with regular individual exhibitions, presenting works in watercolors and drawings.
From 1990 onwards, more present in Faro, the Chamber recalls that the artist directed the cultural program of the Trem and Arco galleries, constituting these spaces as a reference in contemporary art in the Algarve region and in the country.
«During this period, in constant collaboration with the most prestigious galleries and collectors in the country, Manuel Baptista brings up Faro the best of national and international contemporary art, as well as some of the most recognized national and international artists», refers to the municipality.
At the same time, Manuel Baptista continued to produce and organize important exhibitions, such as at Casa da Cerca, in 1996, or at Central Tejo, in 2012, with Fora de Escala.
Another of Manuel Baptista's passions was collecting, mainly in the universe of toys, comics and postcards, which has occasionally merited its exhibition, with the Municipality having acquired in the past a vast set of toys, many of them authentic rarities and which make part of the memory of the amusements of ancient generations.
Currently, Manuel Baptista was actively participating in the preparation of a new exhibition in his hometown, even confirming his availability to create new works.
The exhibition, which will take place in the summer of this year, at the Municipal Museum of Faro and at the Trem gallery, curated by João Pinharanda, it will be the opportunity to review the most iconic works by Manuel Baptista throughout his career and «pay him a just tribute as
one of the most distinguished visual artists of his generation».
«In addition to being a visual artist represented in the main galleries and collections of national museums, Manuel Baptista was also an important cultural agent in the city and an active and constructive voice for the development in the areas of creativity and art in the region, influencing several generations of artists, who mark the cultural life and the academic and associative dynamics of the city», emphasizes the municipality.
Manuel Baptista was distinguished by several prizes and honors, with emphasis on the Autores Prize from the Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA), in 2012, and the Gold Medal from the Municipality of Faro, assigned in 2018.
«To all your friends and family, the Municipality of Faro offers the most heartfelt condolences”, reads the note.
Manuel Baptista died this Saturday, April 8, at the age of 86, in Lisbon. O funeral takes place on Wednesday.
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