The Portuguese visual artist Noronha da Costa (1942-2020) stood out in the artistic panorama of contemporary art through the constant study of image and perception. Luís Noronha da Costa was born in Lisbon, in 1942, in the fateful year of the Second World War. He graduated in architecture at the Escola Superior de Belas Artes, in Lisbon, having his first exhibition when he was
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The Portuguese visual artist Noronha da Costa (1942-2020) stood out in the artistic panorama of contemporary art through the constant study of image and perception. Luís Noronha da Costa was born in Lisbon, in 1942, in the fateful year of the Second World War. He graduated in architecture at the Escola Superior de Belas Artes, in Lisbon, having his first exhibition when he was just 20 years old. A From the end of the 1960s onwards, he dedicated himself fully to painting. Initially it started with explore collages and the “screen effect” from mirrors and frosted glass. Still in the 60s, he created his emblematic technique with the spray gun. From this method, Noronha da Costa created images that are close to us — however, they remain in another room, giving us the perception that there is a ground glass divider. In addition to painting, he also performed artistic works at the level of experimental cinema. A artistic production de Noronha Costa was marked by the questioning of perception, with dualities always existing, between real or virtual, duplication or blur. Among the various awards and distinctions, he was the artist selected by the Portuguese Section of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA), in 1971. In 1999, he was invited to hold the inaugural exhibition at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto. In the same year he was awarded the “European Painting Prize” awarded by the European Parliament, thus receiving deserved international recognition. At the end of 2003, it was the subject of a vast Retrospective at the Centro Cultural de Belém, supported by the publication of an extensive monograph entitled “Noronha da Costa revisited 1965-1983”, Edições Asa. In the current year, 2012, he was awarded the Title: Grand Officer of the Order of Infante D. Henrique, by the Presidency of the Republic, on the 10th of June. His work is part of important collections and institutions such as Banco Espírito Santo and CAMJAP/Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and is also part of the Buckingham Palace Collection – in 1985 the President of the Republic, General Ramalho Eanes offered a painting of Noronha da Costa to Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of England, during her official visit to Portugal. The contribution of Noronha da Costa to contemporary art is invaluable, and his tireless quest to explore perception continues to influence and inspire generations of artists and art lovers around the world. His work, full of intriguing dualities and bold questions, remains a lasting legacy in the history of art.
