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Inspired by the friendship and mutual admiration between two of the biggest names in Portuguese art, Casa das Histórias Paula Rego is set to open a new exhibition dedicated to the work of Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos, one of the most important figures in 20th-century Portuguese printmaking. “Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos: Creating in Freedom” opens to the public on 15 May and runs until 18 October 2026 in Cascais, as part of the “Cascais European Capital of Democracy 2026” programme. The official opening takes place on 14 May at 6pm.
Curated by Catarina Alfaro and Leonor de Oliveira, the exhibition stems from the friendship and mutual admiration between Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos and Paula Rego, who first met in London in the 1950s while studying at the Slade School of Fine Art. Later, as a professor at the same institution, Cid dos Santos supported Rego in learning printmaking techniques, establishing an artistic and personal bond that lasted for decades.
The friendship between Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos and Paula Rego
The exhibition brings together works that highlight the affinities between the two artists, from shared references to the literature of Jorge Luis Borges and the engravings of Goya, to the use of art as a form of political and social denunciation. This is also the first exhibition organised following the acquisition by the D. Luís I Foundation of a large part of the artist’s printmaking archive.
The display is divided into four sections. The first focuses on early etchings and aquatints produced in London, where urban landscapes take on both political and dreamlike qualities, in dialogue with Portugal under the Estado Novo regime. This is followed by a group of works created at the start of the Colonial War in 1961, in which Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos explores the relationship between war, repression and colonialism. From this period also comes the “Bishops” series, which criticises the close ties between the Church and the Portuguese dictatorship.
The third section presents works from the early 2000s, including the “Rats” series, in which Mickey Mouse becomes a symbol of authoritarian power and neoliberal imperialism, through compositions that make use of collage. The exhibition concludes with works inspired by literature, particularly the worlds of Kafka and Borges, used as metaphors for the relationship between the individual and power.
Alongside the exhibition
The Cultural and Educational Service of the D. Luís I Foundation will also be running a programme of activities linked to the exhibition. The first initiative takes place on 18 May at 10.30am, as part of International Museum Day, and offers a guided visit focused on the role of Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos’s work in the defence of rights and democracy in Portugal.
Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, Av. da República, 300 (Cascais). 15 May–18 Oct. Tue–Sun 10am–6pm. €5