Almoço do Trolha [The Bricklayer's Lunch]

This portrait of a working-class family became a symbol of Portuguese Neo-Realism. It was exhibited in 1947, still unfinished, at the second EGAP – General Exhibition of Plastic Arts.

Organized by Mário Dionísio, Júlio Pomar and Francisco Keil do Amaral, these exhibitions functioned as acts of resistance and protest against the official exhibitions of the Estado Novo regime, controlled by the Secretariat for National Information. The EGAP exhibitions took place at the National Society of Fine Arts between 1946 and 1956.

During one of these exhibitions the political police (PIDE) raided the venue and seized several artworks, including this painting. The police action was reported in newspapers, which ironically increased the visibility of the Neo-Realist movement.