Pedro Guimarães Archives - Artcatto - Art Gallery in Algarve

Pedro Guimarães

BIOGRAPHY

Pedro Guimarães, born 1974 in Guimarães, Portugal. From an early age, Pedro was fascinated by art and design, resulting in an exhibition at the age of 16 in Braga. The success and impact of that show, confirmed his career as a professional artist and as a result he set up his studio in Guimarães to continue his practice.

As a young artist and with the advent of the Internet, he absorbed all the Post-Pop iconography that was coming out of the States; he saw the legacy of the great New York Pop artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the collages of Robert Rauschenberg and the seductive consumer world of James Rosenquist.

It was the next generation of Pop artists that continued to make a lasting impression on the young Guimarães. These artists were mixing urban art techniques and unusual materials to create contemporary images that are firmly rooted in Post Modern appropriation.

Guimarães’ background in design and his interest in the ‘science of seeing’, led him to create incredible 3D pieces that are constructed with vertical strips, so that the colourful image changes perspective as you walk from one side to the other. Pedro is a master of these startling optical effects and the use of alternative materials that relates to the subject matter as part of the artistic process.

Guimarães’ reputation grew and in 2005 he received the highly coveted ‘Arte Cantábria’ prize and in 2014 he was commissioned to do a portrait of the Portuguese First Lady – Maria Cavaco Silva and was received by the First Lady and the President of Portugal at Belém Palace in recognition of his artwork. Guimarães has undertaken numerous portraits of notable and famous people.

This highly anticipated exhibition presented by Artcatto at the Conrad Algarve, will see a range of pieces including fine examples of Guimarães’ ‘three-in-one’ optical portraits. The multiple angles viewpoint allows the artist to create a clever narrative within the work. Take ‘Together’ (Acrylic on MDF and canvas), we are presented with a rich and vivid graphic image of a pretty girl, looking out with a somewhat quizzical yet confident expression. As one moves around the work to the right, the viewer sees the portrait of a handsome young man, finally moving to the left, an image appears of interlocking hands. We are left to interpret the exact nature of their relationship, which is clearly based on a loving union and tenderness.

In other work, such as ‘In My Soul’, ‘Karl’ and ‘Lost On You’, Guimarães builds up the form and features of the subject using, initially plan white strips of wood. He layers each one on top of the other, at various angles, methodically constructing the portrait, which is painted at various points during the whole stacking process. The effect is remarkable. Guimarães representational skill is second to none.

Pedro Guimarães is very much an artist of his time. His following on social media reflects the general appreciation for his highly specialized and technically superb work.

His sought after work can be found in notable private collections all over the world: Nigeria, Sweden, Holland, USA, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Porto Rico and Lebanon to name but a few.

Artcatto is proud to exhibit Pedro Guimarães, who is fast becoming one of the ‘hottest’ Portuguese artists around.