Viúva Lamego
the studio—factory
MARINA ALMEIDA
Words
VASCO CÉLIO
Photography
Although the title sounds like a contradiction in terms, for Viúva Lamego it makes perfect sense. At this century-old ceramics factory, there’s always time to talk to artists and achieve what’s best for their projects. Part factory, part studio, the secret of keeping young is a meticulous path of innovation.
The story begins in 1930, in the Palma de Baixo area of Lisbon. Viúva Lamego had already been in business for 81 years when it decided to open its doors to artists, inviting them onto factory premises, while supporting their work at close quarters. This method is still very much alive, boosting the legacy of a factory known for its traditional, hand-painted tiles, and a penchant for challenges. One example of this type of partnership is artist Joana Vasconcelos’ swimming pool, a gigantic puzzle made up of 11,000 hand-painted tiles. This project was very much a technical challenge of scale, execution and packaging, not to mention the hurdles of transport and assembly at its final destination - Edinburgh, Scotland.
Currently 173 years old, and with no discernible signs of ageing, Viúva Lamego’s relationship with artists facilitates the factory-studio’s ability to reinvent traditional tiles, a well-known cornerstone of Portuguese culture. To help artists, the company’s technicians often to adapt the productive structure, which often leads to innovations that are incorporated into daily practice.
The roster of permanent artists currently lists Maria Emília Araújo, Bela Silva, and French painter, Hervé di Rosa. Dividing her time between Belgium and Portugal, whenever she’s in the country, Bela Silva works at the Viúva Lamego's studio, where she produces not only tiles, but also her fantastic sculptures.
This opportunity to share experiences and knowledge is also available for temporary studios, which artists use for a particular project. This recently happened with the French artist, Henriette Arcelin, who made a tile panel and four bas-relief sculptures that were then glazed, adapting the factory's glazes to the colours of her designs.
The very first artist to have a workspace in Viúva Lamego was Jorge Barradas, who reignited interest in Portuguese ceramics in the 1950s. Querubim Lapa and Manuel Cargaleiro also had studios there. The work of Cargaleiro, now 95, can be found both in Portugal and abroad. One of his most illustrious works was the tile panels for the Champs-Élysées/Clemenceau Paris metro station in 1995, a project he was invited to extend in 2019. Over the last 92 years, many artists, both Portuguese and foreign, have worked with Viúva Lamego, including the world-famous Ai Weiwei, who created a panel of 1,800 hand-painted tiles.
Bela Silva
Henriette Arcelin
Recently, there has been a return to using tiles to cover buildings, inside and out, which has become a key area of development for the factory. Impressive examples abound, such as Siza Vieira working with Viúva Lamego’s palette of whites (18 different shades) for the tiles used on the São Bento underground station in Porto. Another is Rem Koolhaas taking the traditional Portuguese tile and reinventing it for one of Casa da Música’s halls, not to mention Catarina and Rita Almada Negreiros. These talented sisters have been exploring the three-dimensional nature of tiles, as well as colour variations that produce optical effects, as demonstrated by the Terreiro do Paço station interface in Lisbon.
These are just some recent cases of collaborations and challenges that go back decades, many of which have been for public spaces, such as the Lisbon Metro, which marked a watershed for tiles in Portugal. The late Maria Keil’s inspired geometry covers all or part of eight metro stations - Areeiro, Roma Alvalade, Rossio, Martim Moniz, Intendente, Campo Pequeno, Picoas, Entrecampos and São Sebastião – however, this public art gallery also proudly exhibits works by Vieira da Silva (Cidade Universitária), Júlio Pomar (Alto dos Moinhos), Menez (Marquês de Pombal) and Cargaleiro (Rato and Colégio Militar), among others. All were produced by Viúva Lamego.
Founded in 1849, Viúva Lamego was one of the first ceramics factories in Portugal. Its first home was located in Lisbon’s Intendente neighbourhood. The building itself was lined with figurative tiles, designed by the then artistic director Ferreira das Tabuletas. It began as António Costa Lamego’s pottery, before being converted into a factory. Later, it took the name Viúva Lamego (literally, Lamego’s widow) when his wife took over the business after her husband's death in 1876. In 1930, production was moved to Palma de Baixo, and then to Abrunheira (Sintra) in 1992. The company employs 50 people who ensure that its industrial production always retains an artisanal bent.
Fast forward to today and Viúva Lamego has rejuvenated traditional Portuguese tiles, overcome countless challenges and achieved global reach. Not even the pandemic could get in their way! A good example of this resilience was Canadian artist Deb Chaney’s project. Distance proved to be no hinderance. The four large panels were all developed remotely, with various online meetings, all deadlines were met before the Portuguese tiles were installed in Vancouver.
