Carlos Botelho (Lisbon, 18 September 1899 – Lisbon, 18 August 1982), or «painter of Lisbon» as he was known, was one of the most important artists of his time. Botelho attended the National Academy of Fine Arts in 1919. As he did not accept the conservative character of the teaching, he abandoned his studies and started a career as illustrator and caricaturist. In 1923, he started working for the ABC newspaper, and in 1928, for the Sempre Fixe newspaper with Echoes of the Week, a humoristic drawing page which he kept for more than twenty years and which is an essential memory of Lisbon and a relationship of the artist with society. These were his first plastic exercises, already marked by the graphic and constructive sense that would be paramount in his work. In 1931, he participated in the setting up of the Portuguese Pavilion at the Paris International and Colonial Exhibition. He then attended the Grande Chaumière Academy and the Colarossi Academy, diving into the Parisian impressionist culture. From this period, his acquarels, portraits and caricatures announced the aesthetic minimalism that would manifest in his Lisbon palcos (stages), in which the houses are reduced to structural elements and absent figures. During his stay in New York and New Orleans (1939), on the other hand, he captured the dynamics of American cities, representing letterings and other details of their urban spirit. Also in 1931, he showed his work at the 2nd Independent Salon, and in 1932 he had his first Solo Exhibition at Salão Nobre. This was the beginning of a career with consecutive exhibitions and a remarkable recognition. Internationally, namely the participation at the Universal Exhibition of New York and San Francisco, and the awards received at the 1st and 3rd editions of the São Paulo Biennial (Brazil, 1951 and 1955). In Portugal, he received the Amadeo de Souza Cardoso Award in 1938, the Columbano Award, in 1940 and the 1st Painting prize at the 2nd Plastic Arts Exhibition of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in 1961. In 1941, he was granted the honours of Official of the Military Order of Christ and Knight of the Military Order of St. James of the Sword, and for this honour he was later elevated to Commander and Grand-Official. As a man of the world, Botelho painted various cities, but Lisbon, his home town, became an inspiration and exclusive symbol of his painting, in which he captured its shades and degrees of light. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections.
FMV, April 2020
