Fernando Távora's centenary celebrations begin

Around thirty initiatives, marked over the course of a year, aim to celebrate the life and work of this unavoidable figure in Portuguese Architecture and will be carried out in various cities, institutions and universities, namely Porto, Minho and Coimbra.

The Porto architect Fernando Távora (1923-2005), an inseparable figure of the Porto School and Portuguese Architecture in the second half of the 20th century, was born on August 25, 1923. The centenary of his birth is the motto for a vast program of initiatives , organized by the Order of Architects (OA), the Marques da Silva Foundation (FIMS), the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP), the Department of Architecture of the University of Coimbra (DARQ) and the School of Architecture, Art and Design from the University of Minho (EAAD), which evokes, praises and intends to immortalize his figure and legacy, in Portugal and beyond borders, namely as a professor at these three universities, where he contributed to the creation of higher architecture courses.

Having as its central nucleus the traveling exhibition “Fernando Távora. Pensamento Livre”, an initiative of the Marques da Silva Foundation, holder of the architect's professional collection, several colloquia, open classes and guided tours of Távora's works are also planned. The “Távora 100” program will also include a wide range of other initiatives, organized by different partner institutions, such as book launches, meetings, workshops and map editing. The entire program can be consulted online on the website: tavora100.pt

The celebrations, which will last until September 2024, will start on August 24th with the return to “Casa dos 24” for the opening of the exhibition “A Urgência da Cidade”, at 6:00 pm. The Old Town Hall, located in Morro da Sé, will now be reopened, on the eve of the centenary, and Távora was responsible for the contemporary recreation that translates into the image that this symbolic space still presents today. With general coordination by Jorge Sobrado, it is possible to visit this exhibition, until October 29th, which focuses on the history of the city of Porto, the place and the iconography of municipal power. A deeply symbolic project and work, inseparable from the universalist culture, the interest in History and the avant-garde personality characteristic of the master and founder of the so-called “Porto School”. The following day, from 6pm onwards, the Florbela Espanca Municipal Library Gallery, in Matosinhos, hosts the exhibition “Celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Architect Fernando Távora (1923–2005)”, which will be on display until September 23rd and counting. with the presentation of representative images and plants and will have three distinct moments in its expository speech: Projects carried out by Fernando Távora; Projects started by Fernando Távora and completed by Álvaro Siza Vieira; and Projects not carried out. The organization of this event is the responsibility of the Matosinhos City Council.

The main exhibition “Fernando Távora. Pensamento Livre”, curated by Alexandre Alves Costa (coordinator), Ana Alves Costa, Jorge Figueira, José António Bandeirinha, Luís Martinho Urbano and Maria Manuel Oliveira, will highlight seven works by Távora that marked not only his professional career but also Portuguese Architecture. Casa de Ofir, the Vila da Feira Market, the Tennis Pavilion at Quinta da Conceição, the Escola do Cedro, the Pousada de Santa Marinha da Costa, the Amphitheater of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra and the Casa dos 24 are the projects that will be highlighted. The inauguration, scheduled for October 2023, will take place at the Marques da Silva Foundation, in Porto. It then travels to Coimbra, in February 2024, with organization provided by the Department of Architecture of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (DARQ) and followed by the city of Guimarães, in May 2024, with the School of Architecture, Art and Design (EAAD) responsible for this itinerary. It is still open whether it will then go to the Assembly of the Republic, in Lisbon.

“Organizing this set of initiatives to mark the centenary of the birth of this greatest figure of Portuguese culture and architecture was an enormous challenge for the Northern Regional Section of the Order of Architects (OASRN) that we could not help but embrace. The Porto architect Fernando Távora had and still has, undeniably, a very particular connection to the north of Portugal, where, in fact, most of his works are located and where he taught in several schools, having contributed to the appreciation of Architecture as a right for all citizens.”, says Conceição Melo, president of OASRN.

Fátima Vieira, president of the Marques da Silva Foundation, highlights that: “It was with great pleasure and great responsibility that we got involved in this organization, together with the Order of Architects and other entities, to bring works and some unprecedented details of the life and work of Fernando Távora, a figure with a unique personality who influenced successive generations of architects and is, even today, a true inspiration”.

SOURCE: PR