View of Lisbon harbor (1935) by Willem van de PollWorld Monuments Fund
Lisbon has a long and storied history as a city of seafarers, but by the turn of the twentieth century its famed port was in need of modernization.
Prior to the expansion of the port, large ships would have to anchor in the Tagus River and wait for smaller vessels to ferry their passengers ashore.
Plan for the reconstruction of Alcântara Port (no date) by Porfírio Pardal MonteiroWorld Monuments Fund
The Estado Novo government of António de Oliveira Salazar saw developing the waterfront as a way of promoting Lisbon as a glamorous travel hub. By the late '30s, the city was receiving 200,000 visitors by sea each year, and new buildings were needed to accommodate this traffic.
Construction of Alcântara Station (1940-3) by Mário NovaisWorld Monuments Fund
Improvements made to the area included the construction of new embankments, river stations, and refrigerated warehouses for cod. Two of the most important additions, however, were Alcântara and Rocha do Conde d'Óbidos Maritime Stations.
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Intended to give steam ship passengers their first impression of Portugal, the stations were designed by Porfírio Pardal Monteiro, a major modernist architect of the period.
Façade of the Hotel Ritz (1959) by Porfírio Pardal MonteiroWorld Monuments Fund
Many of Pardal Monteiro's buildings are characterized by striking symmetries and nods to classicism executed in a more geometric style.
Construction of the Pavilion of Discoveries, designed by Porfírio Pardal Monteiro for the 1940 Portuguese World Exhibition (1939) by Estúdio Horácio NovaisWorld Monuments Fund
His close relationship with Duarte Pacheco, who would go on to become minister of public works, allowed Pardal Monteiro to secure a number of important commissions for civic projects over the course of his career.
View of the marine station of Genoa (1934) by unknownWorld Monuments Fund
Prior to beginning work on Alcântara and Rocha do Conde d'Óbidos, Pardal Monteiro accompanied Pacheco on a tour of France and Italy to study examples of maritime stations in other countries.
The stations he built on the banks of the Tagus thus draw upon the style of those he saw in Naples, Trieste, Genoa, and La Rochelle.
Interior of Alcântara Station (1982) by Estúdio Mário NovaisWorld Monuments Fund
Pardal Monteiro was interested in the idea of “global design”: unifying buildings with the art and objects within them for an immersive aesthetic experience. He himself recommended that José de Almada Negreiros be selected to decorate the maritime stations’ interiors.
A prominent avant-garde figure of mixed Portuguese and Santomean descent, Almada Negreiros worked across a wide variety of media, from poetry to dance, from textiles to prints.
Murals by José de Almada Negreiros inside the Diário de Notícias building, designed by Porfírio Pardal Monteiro (2022) by GualdimGWorld Monuments Fund
He had collaborated with Pardal Monteiro on other projects, such as the Diário de Notícias building, for which he painted murals relating to Portuguese history.
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Exterior of the Diário de Notícias Building
One of the most important collaborations between the two was at Lisbon’s Church of Our Lady of Fátima, built by Pardal Monteiro in 1938.
Stained glass by José de Almada Negreiros for Our Lady of Fátima (1984) by Luís Filipe OliveiraWorld Monuments Fund
At the church, Almada Negreiros was able to display the full breadth of his talents: he contributed not only stained glass but also mosaics, metalwork, and murals.
The murals Almada Negreiros painted for the church include the symbols of the evangelists.
Pardal Monteiro and Almada Negreiros would also work together for projects at the University of Lisbon.
View of the murals at Rocha do Conde de Óbidos Station (2022) by Fernanda BrandaoWorld Monuments Fund
Within the stations themselves, Almada Negreiros’s colorful murals complement the sleek, monochromatic stone around them—true to the idea of “global design.”
In 1980, the stations’ murals received official Cultural Heritage designation; the buildings themselves later followed.
Varinas (Fishwives) Unloading Coal (1943-4) by José de Almada NegreirosWorld Monuments Fund
But deterioration has accelerated in recent years. A 2021 study by researchers from Hercules Laboratory at the University of Évora found that the murals were suffering from several problems that resulted in destabilization.
Salt deposits—visible in places as white streaks—had also formed over the paintings. Over time, these can corrode the artworks beneath if left untreated.
One shade of pale green, used here in the angel's garment, has been particularly affected by deterioration.
Roche Conde de Óbidos aerial view (2008) by João FerrandWorld Monuments Fund
Moreover, as sea levels rise with climate change, flooding of Lisbon’s quayside area is projected to worsen, further threatening the buildings and their murals.
View of the murals at Alcântara Station (2022) by Fernanda BrandaoWorld Monuments Fund
In 2022, World Monuments Fund (WMF) elevated the maritime stations to its Watch. Now, it’s supporting the Port of Lisbon Administration’s efforts to conserve the site and prevent future damage.
Alcântara school trip (2006) by Port of LisbonWorld Monuments Fund
It is also hoped that developing tourism at the site might bring economic benefits to the surrounding area.
View of the murals at Rocha do Conde de Óbidos Station (2022) by Fernanda BrandaoWorld Monuments Fund
With such interventions, the stations—and the artwork that adorn them—can continue welcoming visitors to the banks of the Tagus, just as they were originally created to do.
dos Santos, Mariana Pinto. "On Being Modern: Possibilities of Resistance through Primitivism and Ingenuousness in Ernesto de Sousa and Almada Negreiros." RIHA Journal (2016).
Gil, Milene, Mafalda Costa, Mila Cvetkovic, Carlo Bottaini, Ana Margarida Cardoso, Ana Manhita, Cristina Barrocas Dias, and António Candeias. "Unveiling the Mural Painting Art of Almada Negreiros at the Maritime Stations of Alcântara (Lisbon): Diagnosis Research of Paint Layers as a Guide for Its Future Conservation." Ge-conservacion 20 (2021): 105-117.
Lobo, Paula Ribeiro. "Almada and the Maritime Stations." Revista de História da Arte–série W 2 (2014): 342-352.
Monteiro, João Pardal. "Porfírio Pardal Monteiro and the Global Design." docomomo journal 55 (2016): 24-29.
Sapega, Ellen W. Consensus and Debate in Salazar's Portugal: Visual and Literary Negotiations of the National Text, 1933–1948. Vol. 8. Penn State Press, 2008.