António Carmo
Born in Lisbon in 1949 in the Madragoa neighbourhood, António Carmo attended the António Arroio Decorative Arts School, where he studied Decorative Painting. While still a student, he began to frequent the "tertulias" (social gatherings) of Lisbon, namely the Brasileira do Chiado, Café Tarantela, Café Vává, Leitaria Garrett, etc.
At the Brasileira, he met and socialised with some of the most famous figures of national culture, such as Almada Negreiros, Abel Manta, Jorge Barradas and João Hogan, who sponsored his exhibition at the Galeria Diário de Notícias in 1970, and others who are still part of his daily life, like Virgílio Domingues, Alberto Gordillo and Luís Lobato. In 1968 he had his first solo exhibition, at the Galeria Nacional de Arte in Lisbon.
After the 25th April 1974, he executed large murals at the Festas do Avante, together with other artists such as Rogério Ribeiro, Cipriano Dourado, Querubim Lapa, Jorge Vieira and Rogério do Amaral. He has a studio in Bairro Alto and spends several periods in Belgium, where he exhibits frequently at the Galerie L'Oeil, Racines and Galerie Albert I.
In Brussels, he also executed two large murals for ABEP (Association of Portuguese Emigrants in Belgium) which were recently donated to the City Hall of St. Gilles/Brussels.
He is represented in numerous museums and collections in Portugal and abroad. About his works he says: I take themes from our everyday life and try to export them to the world. The main characteristics of his works are the use of strong, vibrant colours and a figuration tending towards exaggerated forms. It is a lyrical, poetic painting, with a very Portuguese colouring!...(quotes from António Carmo in an interview with Ana Maria Albuquerque).
