In the 1950s, thanks to a grant from the Gulbenkian Foundation, the young Álvaro Siza travelled to Paris, along with other students from the Porto School of Fine Arts. For many – including Siza himself – this trip marked the first time left the Iberian Peninsula. During their time in the French capital, the architecture students took the opportunity to absorb the work of Le Corbusier, the Art Nouveau constructions, as well as buildings designed by the most influential architects of the time.

However, the most remarkable part of this trip to Paris would be the encounter with the work of Pablo Picasso: the work of the Spanish painter would accompany Siza’s career, along with other important names in the field of art, such as Matisse, Miró, Cézanne, Giacometti, Chillida and Michelangelo, among many others. In the Siza exhibition, until 26 August at the Gulbenkian Foundation, you can see works by Picasso, Matisse and Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, artists who strongly influenced the architect.