Fernando Lanhas

Fernando Lanhas was born on September 16, 1923 in Porto, Portugal. He studied architecture at the School of Fine Arts of Porto, but became known as the leading name in Portuguese abstract painting. He started painting in 1944, influenced by music, astronomy and the international abstract movement. He was one of the pioneers of abstraction in Portugal and one of the most innovative and original Portuguese painters. He also had a passion for astronomy and built his own observatory in his house. He observed and recorded the movements of stars and planets, and used them as inspiration for his paintings. He also collaborated with the Astronomical Observatory of Porto and published several articles on astronomy. He worked as an architect for many years, designing buildings that followed the principles of modernism. He also taught at the Faculty of Architecture of Porto and was involved in several cultural projects and publications. He received several awards and honors for his artistic and academic achievements, such as the Ricardo Malheiros Prize from the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon in 1949, the National Prize for Painting in 1969, and the Medal of Cultural Merit in 1989. He died on February 4, 2012 in Porto, at the age of 88. His works are exhibited in several museums and collections, such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Serralves Foundation, the National Museum of Contemporary Art and the Center for Modern Art.