The exhibition of 30 drawings of the Brazilian plastic artist Candido Portinari (1903 –1962) arose from a proposal made by Madalena de Azeredo Perdigão, Director of the Department of Artistic Creation and Art Education (ACARTE).  The event was organized by the «Project Portinari», under the supervision of Maria Rita Galvão, a Brazilian professor, archivist and investigator and it was curated jointly with the artist’s son João Candido Portinari. In fact, Madalena de Azeredo Perdigão presented her idea to João Candido Portinari after his lecture entitled «Project Portinari: Um homem, Um Tempo, Uma Nação» [A man. A Time. A Nation], held at the Calouste Gulbenkian Paris Branch, the Centre Culturel Portugais (CCP), in Paris, at José-Augusto França invitation. The idea was to present the same lecture in Lisbon, together with a small exhibition at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s (FCG) Modern Art Centre (CAM) thus being the first time the «Project Portinari» presented an exhibition of originals works, outside Brazil. The setting up of the exhibition was organized through photographs sent by Project Portinari, with the supervision of Maria Rita Galvão.

The «Project Portinari», idealized and initiated by the artist’s son, based at the Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro [Rio de Janeiro Catholic University], had as one of its main goals to locate, photograph and catalog over 4800 works and 25000 documents of the painter, with the purpose of systematically taking inventory of Portinari’s collection and life. .

In addition to the 30 drawings, the exhibition also included 5 paintings from the CAM’s collection and 30 posters of 30 cm x 40 cm, presented to the Portuguese public in the CAM’s Temporary Exhibition Gallery from the September 23 to the October 11 of 1987. During this period of time, the exhibition had a total of 4666 visitors.

Within the scope of the exhibition, João Candido Portinari gave a two hours audiovisual talk, which was divided in three parts: a brief historical summary about «Project Portinari», its input in the contemporary sociocultural Brazilian movement and its goals; the artist’s life and era, Portinari’s illustrated biography, the men and ideas of his generation and the historical-cultural context of his time; and a retrospective, spanning the main topics developed in the artist’s work, accompanied by a traditional Brazilian soundtrack.

The catalogue text signed by Sommer Ribeiro, which introduces the exhibition, explores the importance of the role of Portinari’s work for Portuguese neo-realism, especially after  the presentation of the work O Café [The Coffee House] at  the Pavilhão do Brasil [Brazilian Pavilion], on the occasion of the Exposição do Mundo Português [Exhibition of the Portuguese World], in 1940.

In a found thanking note, signed by João Candido Portinari, he mentions “the friendly welcome which was dedicated to me”, and the “competent organization of one of the most beautiful [...] exhibitions already organized with the work of my father”, ending with the information that a retrospective exhibition of the work of Portinari was being planned by the FCG to be held in 1990 (Written note sent by João Candido Portinari to José Sommer Ribeiro, 25th sept. 1987, Gulbenkian Archives, CAM 004).