Exhibition “Souto de Moura - Memory, Projects, Works” Opens at Casa da Arquitectura

Today, October 18, the Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Center for Architecture opens the exhibition “Souto de Moura – Memory, Projects, Works,” which will remain on display until September 6, 2020. Curated by Francesco Dal Co and Nuno Graça Moura, the exhibition offers a unique monographic reading of the work of Eduardo Souto de Moura, 2011 Pritzker Prize laureate and one of the most prestigious Portuguese architects.

The exhibition and its catalog have an eminently documentary purpose, opening the archive to the public and making it available for a wide range of analyses, interpretations, and speculations. This is the first reading drawn from the vast collection that the architect deposited at the institution, which consists of 604 models, around 8,500 drawings, and all the textual and photographic documentation that complements the projects. The exhibition material is entirely original and, for the most part, is being exhibited or published for the first time. Drawings, models, personal notes, photographic material, and other documents are presented exactly as they appear in the archive, without manipulation or omission.

“A chronologically ordered journey is proposed, without precluding detours from this order so as to clarify familiarities between projects from different eras. A selection of projects is, by nature, always partial and incomplete. In this case, we sought to highlight a set of elements from works that we consider relevant to understanding Souto de Moura's oeuvre and method in its various aspects.” (Francesco Dal Co and Nuno Graça Moura, exhibition curators)

Displaying 40 projects, the exhibition will occupy the Casa's two exhibition spaces: the 950-square-meter nave and the 150-square-meter Casa Gallery. In the larger space, 36 projects are featured, including completed works, competition proposals, and unbuilt designs. In the Casa Gallery, six ongoing projects are on display, in an environment that reproduces the more personal atmosphere of the architect's studio.

In addition, a vast program of parallel activities, curated by Nuno Sampaio, Francesco Dal Co, and Nuno Graça Moura, complements the exhibition. It includes lecture series and debates featuring some of the most prominent national and international figures in architecture and other disciplines, concerts, and a series of guided tours where visitors can fully experience the work.