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U.Porto Memory

University of Porto Famous Alumni

José de Oliveira Ferreira

José de Oliveira Ferreira 1883-1942 Sculptor

José de Oliveira Ferreira was born in Porto, in S. Nicolau parish, on 8 January 1883. He was the son of bakers Henrique Gomes Ferreira and Maria da Anunciação de Oliveira and brother of António (born in 1880), Rita (born in 1883), and Francisco (born in 1884) and half brother of Tomás Ferraz Ferreira (born in 1854), from his father’s first marriage to Margarida de Jesus Ferraz (?-1877).

The family lived in Belomonte street in Porto, but in na unknown date settled in Vila Nova de Gaia, first in the area of Candal and later in Quinta da Beleza, close to the workshop owned by sculptor António Teixeira Lopes. José Ferreira was an apprentice of the Master, during the time when he took night classes at the Passos Manuel Industrial Design School (1895-1898), in Vila Nova de Gaia, where he completed his studies with full marks. He then enrolled in the Porto School of Fine Arts, in 1898.

He excelled in Historical Drawing and Sculpture classes, which would later mark his future activity. During the academic year 1899-1900, he received the second prize in the annual contest in the Drawing class supervised by Álvaro de Brito, with a study entitled Rapaz tirando um espinho do pé [Boy removing a thorn from his foot]. In the following academic year, 1900-1901, he received a mention in the annual contest for the same subject, with a copy of Narciso. He also attended the Architecture class taught by Geraldo Sardinha and, of course, the Sculpture classes by António Teixeira Lopes – in that year he received a final mark of 17 out of 20. In the academic year 1901-1902, he received the 1st prize at the annual contest in Historical Drawing, with a crayon study entitled Escravo [Slave], depicting Michael Angelo. In this 5th year (1902-1903), he obtained the final mark of 18 out of 20 and won the annual contest. His final mark in Sculpture was 17 out of 20.

In 1905, with other students, he asked for reformation of The Porto School of Art and the artistic teaching, and completed the Sculptor course with full marks, with a work entitled Uma mulher desfalecida num banco público, segurando duas crianças ao colo [A woman unconscious on a public bench holding two children on her lap].

As a student he participated inf the reconstruction of S. Bento Palace, directed by Ventura Terra and in the production of the group of sculptures called A Pátria [Homeland] by Teixeira Lopes.

After completing his studies, he continued to collaborate in Teixeira Lopes’ workshop, and in 1907 he competed for a State Scholarship abroad with the work A prisão do mendigo [The beggar’s prison], against Rodolfo do Couto and Alves de Sousa. Oliveira Ferreira won the competition and travelled to Paris.

In Paris, he studied in an artistic and cultural centre with sculptors such as Mercié (1845-1916), and socialized with other Portuguese artists (such as the sculptors Costa Mota, Simões de Almeida and João da Silva and painters Sousa Lopes, Acácio Lino and Amadeo Souza Cardoso); he continued to work in sculpture, participated in exhibitions and visited Museums . In 1908, his torso Sorriso [Smile] received an award at the Salon; the work Ida para o dispensário [On the way to the Dispensary], in clay, is today the property of Chiado Museum, in Lisbon. He also sent works to the Exhibition on School Works at the Porto School of Fine Arts: Cabeça de mulher, Estudo ao natural, Cabeça desenhada do gesso e Mercúrio.

In 1909, in collaboration with his brother and architect Francisco de Oliveira Ferreira, he participated in the contest for the Monument to the Peninsular War, to be erected in Lisbon, with the winning project Aspirantes portugueses.

The victory in this contest forced him to interrupt his scholarship and return to Portugal, with a young French model (from december 1910 to january 1911).

Back in Paris he exhibited a feminine statue entitled "Muscat-gourmande" at the Salon, and received an honourable mention for it and was praised by Aquilino Ribeiro int the pages of “Ilustração Portuguesa”. At the National Society for Fine Arts, he exhibited the statue D. Afonso Henriques.

He left Paris in july 1911. To the The Porto School of Art he sent the awarded statue among other works.

In 1912 he built his house-workshop in Miramar (Vila Nova de Gaia), where he has lived and worked since 1913.

As he could not live on his sculptor work alone, he began to teach at the Faria Guimarães Industrial School (later known as Soares dos Reis). In 1916, the occupied temporarily the vacancy left by Teixeira Lopes at EBAP.

In 1913, he presented the bronze torso Per mio figlio, at the Exhibition of Porto Artists, held in Ateneu Comercial do Porto. In 1914, he helped to organize the solidarity exhibition to help the widow and children of the artist Joaquim Gonçalves da Silva with his work Abandonadas [Abandoned]. In 1915, he competed for the Monument to Camões, to be erected in Paris.

In 1924, his Monument to the Dead of the 1st World War was inaugurated in Carlos Alberto Garden, in Porto. However, because this monument did not please the Porto residents, it was replaced by another work by Henrique Moreira.

In 1925, he participated in the contest for a monument to Camilo Castelo Branco.

In May the following year, he organized an individual exhibition at the Silva Porto Salon, where he exhibited works in bronze, clay and plaster (coins, funeral sculpture work, projects for monuments, torsos, etc.) and drawings. He also competed for the Monument to Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, to be erected in Brazil.

In 1928, he produced figures of angels for the Agramonte Cemetery, in Porto.

In 1930, he participated in the 27th Exhibition of the National Society for Fine Arts, and came 2nd with the bronze statue O melhor sono da nossa vida [The best sleep in our lives], dedicated to all mothers; this work was taken to Viseu, the home town of his mother. In that same year, together with his brother Francisco, he participated in the contest for the Monument to the Dead of the 1st World War, to be erected in Luanda, Angola.

In 1931, he won the first prize at the 28th Exhibition of the National Society for Fine Arts.

Two years later, in 1933, the Monument to the Peninsular War was inaugurated, and the sculptor received the title of Commendator of the Military Order of Santiago de Espada. In this year, he also produced a model of the Monument to António José de Almeida.

In 1940, he exhibited his works O melhor sono da nossa vida and the statue of D. Afonso Henriques in the Exhibition of the National Society for Fine Arts.

José de Oliveira Ferreira was a member of the Art and Archaeology Council of the north of the country.

He died in Miramar, Vila Nova de Gaia, on 3 October 1942.

Diogo de Macedo, in his work entitled "Notas de Arte", stated that Oliveira Ferreira was a guiding inspiration for his generation, due to his art and humble nature.
(Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2010)