Stories of the Collection VIII

Spanning the period from 1983 to the present day, Stories of the Collection summarises key moments in the formation of the Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) Collection. Across distinct points and through the presentation of its most important acquisitions, we follow the desires, tastes, policies and circumstances of each specific moment of the collection’s development: The Decorative Collection (1983-89); The Art Collection (1990-97); Diversification (2000-04); Photographs (1991 and 2004); Precision (2004-08 and 2014); Prints (2007); Donations and Bequests (1967-2021); Resuming Acquisitions (2020-21); New Acquisitions: renowned artists (2022 and 2023); New Acquisitions: mid-career artists (2022 and 2023); Caixa Contest for Young Artists (2022 and 2023).

In October 2020, the CGD Executive Committee, chaired by Paulo Moita de Macedo, resolved to authorise the acquisition of the painting Melville na Bastilha (1991-92), which had been part of the survey exhibition dedicated to the artist Álvaro Lapa, organised by Culturgest: Lendo Resolve-se: Álvaro Lapa e a Literatura [Reading Solves: Álvaro Lapa and Literature] (18.01 – 19.04.2020).

The following year, through the plan for the resumption of regular acquisitions defined by the Culturgest Board of Directors (chaired by Mark Deputter and assisted by Trustees Francisco Viana and Maria João Gonçalves), the respective proposals went to Culturgest's Visual Arts Programmer, curator Bruno Marchand, and are listed in three categories: established artists and "mid-career" artists, in both cases already represented in the Collection; and young artists not yet represented in the Collection.

On 13 December 2021, the Acquisitions Committee (composed of 5 members with voting rights: Emílio Rui Vilar (chair), Maria da Graça Carmona e Costa, Isabel Carlos, Raquel Henriques da Silva and Delfim Sardo; and 3 members without voting rights Mark Deputter, Bruno Marchand and Lúcia Marques, coordinator of the CGD Collection), analysed the acquisitions proposal presented by Culturgest's curator and Visual Arts programme and unanimously decided on the acquisition of 20 works by the following artists: Ângelo de Sousa, Armanda Duarte, Bruno Zhu, Gabriela Albergaria, João Maria Gusmão e Pedro Paiva, João Queiroz, Pedro Casqueiro and Von Calhau!.

The works by the established artist Ângelo de Sousa were presented at the exhibition Trees, curated by Bruno Marchand, at Fidelidade Arte - Chiado 8 (10.12.2021 - 04.03.2022) and at Culturgest - Porto (26.03 - 12.06.2022). The works of Gabriela Albergaria were presented at the exhibition A Natureza Detesta Linhas Retas, curated by Delfim Sardo, at Culturgest - Lisbon (06.04 - 27.06.2022). Works by artists Pedro Casqueiro, João Queiroz and Armanda Duarte reinforce the holdings of these artists' work already present in the CGD Collection. João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva, Von Calhau! and Bruno Zhu are the new artists introduced into the Collection, updating its representativeness and seeking to minimise the hiatus arising from the programmatic suspension of acquisitions between 2008 and 2020.