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In the year marking the centenary of the birth of Artur Bual (1926–1999), Perve Galeria and Casa da Liberdade – Mário Cesariny present the exhibition “100 Artworks for Artur Bual: A Tribute to the Portuguese Gesturalist Pioneer”, on view from 14 July to 15 August 2026.
Curated by Carlos Cabral Nunes, the exhibition brings together around a hundred artworks, including a wide-ranging selection from Artur Bual’s path, featuring works created between the 1950s and the 1990s. This central body of work is complemented by pieces by artists from different generations and backgrounds, including those who maintained a close personal or artistic relationship with Bual, as well as others whose practices reveal strong aesthetic and poetic affinities with his legacy, such as Mário Cesariny, Cruzeiro Seixas, Fernando Lemos and Figueiredo Sobral, among others.
Widely recognised as the pioneer of gestural painting in Portugal, Artur Bual developed a profoundly free artistic language, distinguished by the expressive force of the gesture, the intensity of colour and a deep commitment to the creative act itself. From the late 1950s onwards, his artistic research played a decisive role in the renewal of Portuguese painting, establishing a singular body of work whose originality and enduring significance have secured its place within the country's artistic history.
This tribute also carries a deeply personal significance for the history of Perve itself. Artur Bual was one of the strongest supporters of the creation of the Colectivo Multimédia Perve – Association for Art and Culture, founded in 1997, and maintained a close personal friendship with its founders. Following his passing, the activities of the Collective gave rise to Perve Galeria in 2000. Only later was a remarkable coincidence discovered: Bual's first studio had been located in Alfama, just a few metres from the space where the gallery would eventually establish itself. More than a biographical curiosity, this unexpected convergence reinforces the profound connection between the artist and a project he helped inspire from its very inception, finding in the same neighbourhood an unforeseen continuity.
More than a historical commemoration, “100 Artworks for Artur Bual: A Tribute to the Portuguese Gesturalist Pioneer” establishes a dialogue between the artist's legacy and a group of creators who, through diverse languages and artistic practices, share a commitment to creative freedom, experimentation and the continual reinvention of visual expression. In doing so, the exhibition highlights the enduring relevance of Artur Bual's work and its remarkable capacity to inspire new interpretations, reaffirming his position as one of the defining figures of modern and contemporary Portuguese art.
100 Artworks for Artur Bual
A Tribute to the Portuguese Gesturalist Pioneer
July 14, 7pm-8pm (opening)
July 15 - August 15, 2026
Tuesday to Saturday, 2pm - 8pm
Perve Galeria & Casa da Liberdade - Mário Cesariny
Rua das Escolas Gerais, n.º 13, 17, 19, Lisbon
Download - 100 Obras Para Artur Bual
