Pop detours in Portugal and United Kingdom, 1965-1975
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, April to September 2018
This exhibition presented works produced in Portugal and England, almost exclusively between 1965 and 1975. They were united by a witty divergence from the commonplace put forward by Pop Art. And, in the case of the Portuguese artists, true defectors from the mediocrity which characterised Portugal. They were seeking inspiration and motivation from abroad, in Paris and in London in particular, which was a true Mecca in the 1960s.
The exhibition featured a number of works by English artists which conspicuously deviate from Pop Art – Bernard Cohen, Tom Phillips, Jeremy Moon, Allen Jones, among others –, alongside a larger number of works by Portuguese artists including Teresa Magalhães, Ruy Leitão, Eduardo Batarda, Menez, Nikias Skapinakis, Fátima Vaz, Clara Menéres, João Cutileiro, José de Guimarães, among numerous others.
The Curators were Ana Vasconcelos e Patrícia Rosas.
The British Council also led Visits/Workshops for school groups from pre-school to Secundário. These consisted of interactive and educational activities in English based on the artworks in the exhibition.