Lisbon, Oct. 3 2024 (Lusa) - Lisbon's National Tile Museum is on Thursday inaugurating an exhibition that "reflects on the present and future" of the Viúva Lamego factory, the county's most famous manufacturer of 'azulejos', or traditional ceramic tiles, through works by 17 artists, including Vhils, Add Fuel, Bela Silva and Adriana Varejão.
The exhibition 'A perspective of the present, a vision of the future' is being staged as part of Viúva Lamego's 175th anniversary celebrations, the company said in a statement.
Amongst the works presented, "by various established artists as well as a new generation of authors," some were "specially conceived for the show" and others are already part of the authors' “artistic portfolio,” it adds.
The exhibition, which is curated by researchers Rosário Salema de Carvalho and Francisco Queiroz, "reflects on the present and future of what is one of the most important tile factories in Portugal, with a fundamental role in the history of national tiles."
Among the 17 artists taking part in are Portuguese artists Bela Silva, Vhils (Alexandre Farto), Add Fuel, Rita João (Estúdio Pedrita), Manuela Pimentel, Kruella d'Enfer, Tamara Alves and Oficina Marques (Gezo Marques and José Aparício Gonçalves), French artists Henriette Arcelin, Hervé di Rosa and Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Brazilian artist Adriana Varejão and Swiss artist Noël Fischer.
They are joined by the finalists of a competition aimed at new artists launched as part of the celebrations for the 175th anniversary of Viúva Lamego: André Trafic, Rico Kiyosu and Klasja Habjan.
The exhibition opens to the public on Friday and can be visited until 29 December.
Viúva Lamego was founded in 1849 by António da Costa Lamego. Six years later, the showroom in Lisbon's Largo do Intendente was completed. It began as António da Costa Lamego's pottery workshop and was later converted into a factory.
The façade of the building is entirely lined with figurative tiles and has since been classified as a building of public interest.
The main Viúva Lamego factory is currently located in the Abrunheira area, in the municipality of Sintra.
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