U.Porto Memory
University of Porto Famous Alumni
Alberto Aires de Gouveia
 |
Alberto Aires de Gouveia 1867-1941 Painter |
Alberto Rodrigues Ayres de Gouvêa, the second son of Joaquim Frutuoso Ayres de Gouvêa Osório and Felismina Adelaide Rodrigues Ayres de Gouveia, was born at Rua da Restauração, in Porto, on 3 March 1867, to a Porto family who worked in the wine business. He was the brother of Felismina (1864), Maria Ermelinda (1871) and Álvaro (1876).
In 1853, his father set up a commission business in London, especially of wines, in collaboration with the main exporting company of Porto which belonged to the family, with a branch set up in Liverpool. In 1861, after he returned to Porto, he joined the wine exporting company of his father-in-law (António Caetano Rodrigues & C.ª).
His paternal grandparents were Frutuoso José da Silva Ayres, from Ventosa, Vouzela, a wine dealer and exporter, and Maria Maximina de Gouvêa Osório Braga. His maternal grandparents were António Caetano Rodrigues, from Nandufe, a merchant and wine exporter in Porto, and the Porto-born Felícia Felicidade Vianna.
Alberto Ayres de Gouvêa was christened in the parish of S. Pedro de Miragaia, in Porto, and his godparents were his paternal grandfather and his great-aunt Ana Amália Vianna.
During his childhood and youth, he received a fine education. He attended the Minerva Institute, S. Carlos College and the English College of Nossa Senhora da Providência, sitting the French, Arithmetic, Geometry, Drawing and Portuguese exams between 1880 and 1882, and passing all these subjects. He also had private tutoring with engineer João Gualberto Póvoa and the philosopher and economist Basílio Teles.
His father and paternal and maternal grandfathers died when he was just ten years old, which caused him great distress.
He enjoyed reading the classics and modern literature and learned to play the violin with the violin player and composer Augusto Marques Pinto, but his true passion was painting, to which he devoted himself exclusively after a short period working in the trade business at the firm António Caetano Rodrigues & C.ª.
He improved his art studies at the Porto Fine Arts School, where he was taught by the naturalist painting master Marques de Oliveira (1853-1927).
As a rule, the painter worked in his workshop at Rua da Bandeirinha, 67, and at his house in Rua da Restauração, where he lived with his family. When the weather allowed it, he used to draw and paint outdoors, in particular landscapes of Porto and its surroundings.
He used imported paints: English oils from Windsor & Newton and French "Henri Roché" pastels.
Praised by the critics and his peers, Alberto Ayres de Gouvêa participated in several group and solo exhibitions. In 1901, he was represented in the 1st exhibition of the National Society of Fine Arts, which included other institutions such as Grémio Artístico, with the following works "Cristo morto" and "A palavra do mestre". He participated in the 5th Group Exhibition of the National Society of Fine Arts of Lisbon and the Art Exhibition at the Gallery "Retratos dos Benfeitores da Santa Casa da Misericórdia" in Porto, in 1905, sponsored by the Porto Institute of Studies and Conferences, with the following paintings: "Leitura das professias", "Santo Antão", "Alegre conviva", "Cabeça de Cristo", "Apolo" and portraits of his nephews and nieces Maria, Joaquim and Teresa, and "S. João da Cruz". In March 1908, he joined the 1st Exhibition of the Porto Society of Fine Arts, where he exhibited, among others, "Jesus curando um doente", "Comediante", "Uvas", "Concerto italiano", and "Dogesse". In 1911, he once again exhibited his work at the National Society of Fine Arts, with works such as the portrait of Teresa Ayres de Gouvêa Allen. In 1916, he participated in the exhibition held at the Porto National Society of Fine Arts.
Four solo exhibitions of his work met with a very positive critique by the public and critics. The first one was held in the entrance hall of Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Porto and included 30 of his paintings. The second exhibit was held on 7 May 1927 at the Silva Porto Salon, in Rua da Cedofeita, where he showed 53 works - portraits, genre scenes and still lifes. In 1933, he showed a collection of 60 works at the Silva Porto Salon. The last retrospective exhibition dedicated to the artist took place in 1941, the year he was acclaimed as an artist and died, and was held in Lisbon and Porto.
The sponsoring commission of this magnificent exhibition, formed by reputed names in the Portuguese culture, edited a brochure with texts by Júlio Brandão, on professors Arnaldo Ressano Garcia and Aarão de Lacerda, Braz Burity, Joaquim Costa and on the painter Joaquim Lopes, to be distributed in the rooms of the National Society of Fine Arts in Lisbon and in the Silva Porto Salon, where the exhibitions were held, but to which the artist was unable to attend for health reasons.
Aires de Gouveia was appointed corresponding partner (1901) and later corresponding member of the National Society of Fine Arts; appointed in 1932, he received the insignia in 1937. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Círculo José de Figueiredo on 29 October 1940.
A gentleman and a bon vivant, Aires de Gouveia was a man of refined taste. He enjoyed Baroque and romantic music and often saw lyric theatre performances and concerts at places such as "Orpheon Portuense". He performed in comedy plays as an amateur, many of which he wrote himself ("A Sombra de Mendo Paes", written in 1896, "A Profissão de Flora", produced in 1897, "O pretexto ou a vingança de Cyrus", dated 1898 and "Uma Colheita de Cardos ou a Philosophia Aplicada"), staged at his mother’s house or in the Recreational Centre of Granja, and at Camila Ribeiro de Faria’s house.
He spent the summers at Praia da Granja, where he organized the meetings at the Recreational Centre. He attended parties in Porto quite frequently, in particular the fancy dress balls, for which he designed original and elaborate costumes. He loved Porto and its monuments, and protested against the "purifying" restoration works of the Porto Cathedral, sponsored by the Directorate General for Buildings and National Monuments in the 30s. Through the mediation of José de Figueiredo, he was able to save the Baroque tiles of the Gothic cloister, as well as the paintings by Nasoni.
He was a wealthy man who travelled across Europe at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, visiting the main museums and monuments. He attended the Universal Exhibition of Berlin, visited part of Spain, Paris, Switzerland and some Italian cities such as Venice, Milan and Capri, along with this master and friend Marques de Oliveira. He also visited Poland, Russia and Germany, and travelled to the English School of Heidelberg, where his brother Álvaro was to study. Later, in 1894, he accompanied his mother and younger sister on a visit to his brother, and during his brother’s school holidays they went to all the German spas. During another trip, between March and May 1901, he visited Marseille, Italy and Greece.
In June 1903, he visited Naples, Rome, Florence and Milan, and in November 1908 he attended the Priesthood Jubilee Celebration of Pope Pius X (1835-1914), as first secretary of the extraordinary ambassador D. António Ayres de Gouvêa, Archbishop of Caledonia and General Commissar of the Holy Crusade Edict.
He died on 12 October 1941 a single man, at the age of 74, in Quinta de Santo António do Jordão, in Candal, Vila Nova de Gaia. The funeral was held at the Carmelites Church.
He left more than 250 signed works: religious paintings, portraits, still lifes and plant motifs, especially pastels. Part of these works can be seen at the Soares dos Reis National Museum, in Porto, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Lisbon and at the Grão-Vasco Museum, in Viseu.
(Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2009)
Last updated: 2024-05-29 Webpage created on: 2025-05-20 05:24:06 Complaint Portal