ÁLVARO SIZA VIEIRA: VISIONS OF THE ALHAMBRA

Álvaro Siza Vieira is perhaps the most poetic and rigorous master of contemporary architecture. His imagination was first captivated by the Alhambra in the 1940s, during family travels, that engendered his seminal introductions to architecture. His visits to Granada later multiplied, and in 1984, when it was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Siza also rose to international recognition and started winning numerous awards. In 2011, Álvaro Siza and Juan Domingo Santos won the "Alhambra Atrium" International Ideas Contest, with their project that proposed a "New Gate" for the 21st century, which symbolises, in continuity, all the entrances to this acropolis, of timeless modernity. Inspired by Siza’s hallmark distillation of memory and topography, the project proposes an embryonic structure that combines nature, and the past and present, offering equal zones of shade, water and vegetation. Merging with the surrounding landscape, the project emphasises, via its public square and panoramic platform, the contemplative aspect of Islamic culture. It can cater to distribution of the Alhambra’s 8,500 visitors per day. The harmonious management of multiple interventions is undoubtedly the most perennial synthesis of the Alhambra complex, a linguistic codex that this exhibition highlights from the viewpoint of the genius of Álvaro Siza - unifying spaces, geometries, cultures and times. Organized by the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art , the exhibition "Álvaro Siza Vieira: Visions of the Alhambra" is curated by the architect António Choupina

Related Activities OPENING: 7 MAR (TUE) GUIDED TOURS
25 MAR (SAT), 3h30 pmGuided visit in Portuguese Sign Language by LaredoMore information here
18 APR (TUE), 6h30 pmGuided visit by António Choupina, exhibition's curator(portuguese)More information here
14 MAY (SUN), 12h00 amGuided visit by João Almeida e Silva, educator(portuguese)More information here
25 MAY (THU), 6h30 pmGuided visit by António Choupina, exhibition's curatorMore information here