In continuity with the exhibition C.A.S.A. – Collection, Álvaro Siza Archive, which explored the Sizian macrocosm of the last ninety years, this display seeks to complement the understanding of that extensive body of work through the microcosm of his design objects.

Conceived in absolute symbiosis with the architectural space – similarly to the furniture showcased in parallel by SANAA: Sejima + Nishizawa –, these items represent different moments in time, from the Boa Nova Tea House to the Serralves Foundation’s New Wing, as well as their respective influences, from Shaker-style dressers to the chairs of Aalto, Wright or Mackintosh. 

Despite working with international brands such as Hermès, Camerich, or Reggiani, Siza continues to produce mainly in Portugal and particularly with SPSS, having developed a friendship with José Simões which nurtured the successive reinvention of his carpentry and joinery details. This exhibition is a sort of tribute to an iterative design process that, throughout decades, contextualized other forays into sculpture, tapestry or tiling, with Viúva Lamego.

The formal and constructive evolution of the disegno (drawing / design) can also be understood by the transversal dialogue between the author, the clients and the artisans of wood, stone or metal, such as Pedro Simões, Augusto Sousa and João Martins, among others. Materiality, function and proportion produce diverse and cohesive atmospheres which rise to the level of art, delicate everyday architectures that, through their rigor, quality and imagination, define a simultaneously personal and universal whole, both intimate and collective. 

The exhibition was produced by the Serralves Foundation, curated by architect António Choupina and coordinated by Sónia Oliveira.