The Soares dos Reis National Museum in Porto is presenting an exhibition of portraits and self-portraits from the Treger Saint Silvestre collection, one of the most important and extensive private collections of Art Brut/Outsider Art in the world.
The exhibition “Portreto de la Animo”,according to curator António Saint Silvestre considered “the largest exhibition of Art Brut ever held on the Iberian Peninsula”, is being promoted in partnership with São João da Madeira City Council, the Oliva Art Centre and collectors António Saint Silvestre and Richard Treger, with the patronage support of the Millennium bcp Foundation and Lusitânia Seguros and the institutional support of the Círculo Dr José de Figueiredo – Association of Friends of the MNSR.
The “Portreto de la Animo” exhibition, made up of around 150 works by 99 artists, will open today, 13 July, at 6pm, followed by the launch and presentation of the catalogue (a co-publication between the Soares dos Reis National Museum and Blue Book), as well as a guided tour of the exhibition led by curator António Saint Silvestre.
Based on the Esperanto expression portreto de la animo – which in English means “portrait of the soul” – the exhibition brings together works from the Soares dos Reis National Museum collection and the Treger Saint Silvestre collection, on display at the Oliva Art Centre. Portraits and self-portraits are presented as tools for exploring the inner world and its multiple expressions.
Richard Treger and António Saint Silvestre began their collection inspired by the journey started by Jean Dubuffet, a pioneer in collecting artistic productions that become accounts of the unconscious. For the first time, they are presenting their Portrait Gallery at the Soares dos Reis National Museum.