Galeria Julio in Vila do Conde will inaugurate on Sunday, November 15, at 5:00 PM, the exhibition “Julio and Modernism in Portugal”, a unique show presenting approximately 150 works by major Portuguese modernist artists. The works come from over ten prominent national institutions as well as private collections. The inauguration will feature a concert by Mário Laginha, as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of Galeria Julio and the Julio / Saúl Dias Studies Center, a space that has been part of the Portuguese Network of Contemporary Art (RPAC) since its founding.

Curated by Bernardo Pinto de Almeida, the exhibition focuses exclusively on Portuguese artists associated with the modernist movement. For the first time, it brings together around Julio two dozen representative artists of that generation. The project proposes a critical re-examination of Portuguese modernism, an artistic and literary movement that began in 1915, decentralizing it from Lisbon and revealing the modernity that developed in northern Portugal, around artists such as Julio, Mário Eloy, and Dominguez Alvarez.

“Julio and Modernism in Portugal” is also celebrates art as a form of resistance, highlighting forgotten voices and women artists, and emphasizing the role of creators who worked outside official circuits and commissions of power. Among the featured artists are Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, Almada Negreiros, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Sarah Afonso, Mário Eloy, Dórdio Gomes, Eduardo Viana, Dominguez Alvarez, Santa-Rita Pintor, Ofélia Marques, Nadir Afonso, Cruzeiro Seixas, and Mário Cesariny, among others.

The works are on loan from several national institutions, including:

• Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

• Arpad Szenes / Vieira da Silva Foundation

• National Museum of Contemporary Art – Chiado

• Soares dos Reis National Museum

• Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Municipal Museum

• Cupertino de Miranda Foundation

• Private collections and the Vila do Conde Municipal Collection

The exhibition also includes previously unseen works and historical documents:

• Julio’s 1918 oil painting

• Correspondence between Julio and his brother José Régio

• The painting “O Fumador”, formerly owned by Manoel de Oliveira, creator of the short film “As Pinturas do Meu Irmão Julio”

• Original issues of the magazine “Presença”, with covers illustrated by artists featured in the exhibition

• The catalog of the 1st Salon of Independent Artists (1930), where Julio exhibited alongside other protagonists of the movement

Program & Activities

The exhibition runs until January 25, 2026, and includes:

• Guided tours

• Launch of a commemorative serigraphy

• Presentation of a new line of art-inspired merchandise reflecting Julio’s visual and poetic universe

10 Years of Galeria Julio

Founded in 2015 by the Vila do Conde City Council, following the legacy established by the artist’s son José Alberto Reis Pereira, Galeria Julio has become a space that bridges memory and contemporaneity. As part of the Portuguese Network of Contemporary Art, it hosts exhibitions, reflection cycles, artist residencies, and educational programs linking artistic creation to the community. Ten years on, the gallery confirms the relevance of a project that, building on the legacy of Julio / Saúl Dias, has carved out its own place in the Portuguese cultural landscape.