Works by Gaëtan at the SNBA
The exhibition GÄETAN opened on 2 June at the Sociedade Nacional de Belas-Artes in Lisbon. Curated by Rui Sanches and Alberto Caetano and produced by the Carmona e Costa Foundation, the exhibition revolves around the work of the recently deceased artist, translator and writer Gaëtan Lampo Martins de Oliveira (1944–2019). Gaëtan devoted himself mainly to drawing, with self-representation being the central theme of his work.
The artist began drawing his face on a regular basis in the 1980s, giving his series titles with literary, musical or cinematic references, in a clear demonstration of his close affinity with other arts. Though he didn’t consider art as a career, his remarkable production has left a mark in the Portuguese artistic panorama.
The exhibition includes 11 works on paper from the CAM collection, 10 of which are self-portraits made in the 1990s. These include the work Agnus Dei (olhos castanhos, camisa aberta) [Agnus Dei (brown eyes, open shirt)] – a set of six drawings in coloured pencil –, seven pastels from the series A arte da fuga – I – La chambre verte [The art of the fugue – I – The Green Chamber], and two drawings in graphite entitled D’après nature. The last work from the CAM Collection that travels to this exhibition, Improviso 4 (Retrato de Ana Jotta) [Improvisation 4 (Portrait of Ana Jotta)], is a portrait in graphite of the artist Ana Jotta made by Gaëtan in 1982.
This exhibition is considered to be the first major show dedicated to the artist’s work since the retrospective exhibition held in CAM in 1996, and can be visited until 17 July.