Commissioner – José Luis Mingote Calderón
Tile in Portugal, due to its abundance and artistic richness, is an internationally recognized symbol. In the first half of the 20th century, the walls of a large number of churches, palaces, public and private buildings, factories, markets or train stations were covered with panels of varied iconography, from landscapes and monuments, to images of peasant and prehistoric life. -industrial. An entire country shaped by this original medium with a long tradition, which finds its sources in photographic copying in its different supports: illustrated books, magazines or postcards.
These iconographic sources are the central motif of the exhibition, which places originals and copies in parallel, with the dual purpose of showing the modern version of the ancient way of working of tile painters – who replaced engravings with photographs –, as should be noted the weight of graphic modernity that marks the entire 20th century.
This exhibition takes place as part of the 2015 Spanish Exhibition.