Biography - Pintomeira

Born in 1946 in Deocriste, Viana do Castelo – Portugal. It was in this very city, in 1966, that he holds his first exposition, in the gallery of the bookstore Divulgação. In 1967 he drops out of architecture school and, opting for painting, leaves to Lisbon where he surrounds himself with surrealist painters (Mário Cesariny, Cruzeiro Seixas, Raul Perez, Fernanda Assis) and participates in various art inconformist demonstrations.

Following a short stay through Africa, he leaves in 1972 to Paris together with Dutch painter M. De Hartog. Later settling in Amsterdam where he studies painting and cinema. If in 1967, painting overcome architecture, now cinema, his highschool passion wins all.

After producing his film that would complete his degree (CREA at University of Amsterdam), he dedicated himself totally to painting, more specifically to surrealism with some of his friends, who called it surreal mannerism, due to influences from 16th and 17th century mannerism which made the transition between the renaissance and the baroque.

In 1978, Pintomeira finishes his surreal period with his participation at the Salon Metamorphoses in honour of René Magritte which took place at the Grand Palais of Paris. He then passes through a landscapes with some slight influences of surrealism and also approaches historic painting (Portuguese expansion). After this period, still in Amsterdam , and during the 80's, he takes in various influences, with special importance the influence of the group COBRA (name composed of the first letters of the cities Copenhagen , Brussels and Amsterdam ). With effect, he keeps to the thick textures, the automatic drawing, the live colors, primary and in complementary combinations and simple motifs.

Aside from painting, as his dominant activity, Pintomeira also dedicated himself to serigraphy, book illustrations, photography and creating cinema posters.

During his forty year career, Pintomeira has held more than fifty individual expositions, of which a selection has been listed below:

1966 – Gallery of bookstore Divulgação, Viana do Castelo; 1968 – Gallery of Primeiro de Janeiro, Porto; 1971 – Gallery of bookstore Ulmeiro, Lisboa; 1975 – Galery Jolijst, Amsterdam; Openning of Culture Hall, Viana do Castelo; 1976 – Galery Husteeg, Amsterdam; 1977 – Kunsthuis Harmonie, Leeuwaarden; 1978 – galerie Entremonde, Paris; 1980 – galery Lughien, Amsterdam; 1981 – galery Katorze, Amsterdam; 1988 – Paços do Concelho, Viana do Castelo; 1989 – Internationaal Institute Tropish Museeum, Amsterdam; 1992 –Municipal Library, Arcos de Valdevez; 1994 – Gallery 1900 DC, Viana do Castelo; Museum Martins Sarmento, Guimarães;

1995 – Museum Municipal, Viana do Castelo; Salão da Cultura, Fafe; 1996 – Holland Casino, Amsterdam; 1998 – Gallery do Casino da Póvoa, Póvoa do Varzim; 1999 – Gallery municipal Arménio Losa, Matosinhos; Museum Municipal, Viana do Castelo; Gallery do Auditório Municipal, Vila do Conde; 2000 – Galery 66, Amsterdam; Gallery Municipal, Aveiro; 2001 – Museum Municipal Abade Pedrosa, Santo Tirso; 2002 –Unesco Centre, Porto; Museum Municipal Machado de Castro,Coimbra; 2004 –Culture centre of Paredes de Coura; 2006 – Museum Municipal de Viana do Castelo – Retrospective – 40 years of Painting; 2007 – Nova Linha – Oficina Cultural – IPVC – Viana do Castelo.

Between 1971 and 2006, Pintomeira has participated in various collective expositions, biennials and art fairs in various countries across Europe . Here is a small selection:

1971 – Gallery of Primeiro de Janeiro, Porto; 1974 – Oude Kerk, Amsterdam; 1978 – Salon Metamorphoses em Homenagem a René Magritte, Grand Palais, Paris; 1983 – Raibeurs, Amsterdam; 1984 – Veins,Tribe, Amsterdam; 1986 – Kunst in de APA, Amsterdam; 1987 – Kunstbeurs Paradiso, Amsterdam; 1989 – Bienal do Luxemburgo;

1993 – Trienal Latina, Viana do Castelo; Gallery 1900; DC, Viana do Castelo; 1994 – Salon Haut Loire, Trienal Latine, Centre Pierre Cardinal, Puy en Valey, França; 2000 – Gallery dos Coimbras, Braga; 2001 – Gallery Espaço Branco, Viana do Castelo; 2003 – Arquétipos, Lendas e Mitos, Fortaleza de Sagres, Sagres; 2005 – Museum Nogueira da Silva, Braga; 2006 – Sonhos, Casa das Artes, Arcos de Valdevez; 2007 – Bragança Fórum; Universidade Sénior;

Pintomeira is represented in a number of private and official collections, company collections and Museums in Europe, United States of America and Israel :

Multinatinal AKZO Nobel, Arnhem, Holland; Empresa Wildeboer pub., Amsterdam, Holland; Museum Nacional Machado de Castro, Coimbra; Museum Martins Sarmento, Guimarães; Museum Municipal, Viana do Castelo; Museum Municipal Abade Pedrosa, Santo Tirso; Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos; Câmara Municipal de Fafe; Câmara Municipal de Viana do Castelo; Câmara Municipal de Paredes de Coura; Casino da Póvoa de Varzim; Instituto Português da Juventude; Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo; Fundação Eng. António de Almeida, Porto.