Helena Almeida

Helena Almeida (1934) was born in Lisbon, where she lived until 2018. She undertook a degree in Painting at Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon, Portugal. She won several awards, such as Prémio Estremadura de Criação (Spain, 2008), Prémio BES Photo (Portugal, 2004), Prémio PhotoEspaña (Spain, 2003) Prémio Casa América (Spain, 1997), XI Tokyo Biennial (Japan, 1979),European Engraving Biennial, Mulhouse (France, 1978),International Biennial of Cagnes-sur-Mer (France, 1976), etc. 

Wondering about the language of painting, Helena Almeida developed her art through photography, performance and drawing. Since the early 1970’s, she creates complex visual compositions using her own body, dressed in black, and other objects or furniture found in her studio. Her artworks are not self-portraits, as she insists, but a project that involves the relationship between space and time and between the artist and the image. Evolving from videos and drawings, her photographs gain autonomy and legitimacy and explore the possibilities of achievements and production of culture in the contemporary society. 

Her work is included in many prestigious international collections, such as: Banco de Espanha, Madrid; Bibliotheque National de Paris; Berardo Collection, Lisbon; Tate Modern, London; Fundación ARCO, Madrid; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon; Serralves Museum, Oporto; Fundació Telefonica, Madrid; Galeria Helga de Alvear, Madrid; Galerie Bama, Paris; Galerie Drehscheibe, Basel, Switzerland; Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan; MUDAM – Musée d'Art Moderne Grand Duc Jean, Luxembourg; MEIAC – Museo Extremeno e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo, Badajoz, Spain; MACBA – Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Barcelona, Spain; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid and Colletion Sammlung Verbund di Viena, Austria.