The scarcity of gallery market in Portugal, the first
gallery appeared in 1954, Jaime Isidoro (painter) with Alvarez Gallery in Oporto,
although he had closed several years, and in 1964 the 111 Gallery Manuel de
Brito, in Lisbon.
As regards Jaime Isidoro " There was no market,
the exhibits were up, put up the paintings and retired without selling out
," Manuel de Brito relates the same decertified landscape of our art
market " At that time it was unthinkable anyone have a project commercial
gallery. " Manuel de Brito considers that the period was the biggest
crisis that followed the April 25, 1974, because virtually closed almost all
the galleries.
Manuel de Brito says that the first two exhibitions
that made Paula Rego have not sold a single framework. Begins to have a more
direct interaction with artists in a college bookstore that had side of the
Faculty of Sciences at Lisbon, in an area of 3x4 meters, after stores were
wandering around and I was getting these spaces. Never crossed my mind to be a
collector, had some friends who gave me some things, but things that they did
not confer great value, not me, because there were no numbers to overwhelm the
idea that it was a value. I do not know why the artists were appearing: "why
do not you make here one gallery? Had your friends and such,” " but this
does not give me anything and my former employer partner said: but this gives
something of the art? ", “Do not give anything" but I like to do
things that not everyone has the outset a materialist interest. "
José Augusto França draws attention to the fact that
the "Hundred Club" - exclusive group of one hundred members,
passionate about collecting art contributing hundred escudos to a common fund, which would be applied in the purchase of
works by Portuguese artists living through a draw - moved higher amounts of
money than the National Museum of Contemporary Art. Although the activity has
ceased in 1968, after two years of the club, Manuel Brito, treasurer during
activity time that core would channel some of those contacts to his customer
portfolio.
Regarding the evolution of gallery scene in the 70s
records the inauguration of galleries, having lived throughout the first phase
of its existence a period of strong political and social turmoil and virtually
no art market, as is said by Alexandre Melo.
The gallery owners Fernando Santos and Pedro Oliveira,
Oporto, and Cristina Guerra, Lisbon, arise in the art scene 20 years later,
covering the effervescent 80 and subsequent years.
Fenando Santos says that our market is small, with
prominence of Lisbon, which is situated the most of institutions, thus making
it difficult to manage a gallery in Lisbon and Porto. Started is activity in
the 80, invited by Gallery Nasoni in Oporto, with a project that has brought a
dynamic to the art market. The Nasoni comes at a prosperous time, was well positioned
had good relations with the media business. Became a reference of the art
market in Portugal. At this time the art
market grew: There are more and more artists and more visibility. There are more
galleries. There are art fairs. There are more private collections. The
internet and social networks that did not exist 30 years ago, revolutionized a
drastically the diffusion of information and communication The Portuguese art market
has opened up to the world.
Juliâo Sarmento stresses that what matters for the
internationalization today is the power of large galleries, major collectors,
art consultants, and international curators, thus ruling out the possibility of
any Portuguese gallery a Portuguese artist get put on top of that because
internationalization Portugal has no power to do so.
Hargreaves, Manuela – Colecionismo e Mercado de Arte em Portugal,
O Território e o Mapa. Porto: Edições Afrontamento, 2013.
