Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

João da Silva (1880-1960) was a notable plastic artist of the first half of the twentieth century, distinguishing himself in the areas of sculpture, medal, numismatics, and jewelry. He was the author of the first gold coin of the Portuguese Republic in 1916 and of the bust of the republic for the Constituent Assembly, among other works of great recognition in the Portuguese art history, whether by order or by contest, where he was awarded several times in Portugal and abroad. With works represented in public spaces, and museological institutions, public and private, João da Silva, to this day, did not have the due recognition, by society, and with which he contributed so much, as an educator, theoretician, and republican militant. It was his sense of duty to society, which led him and his wife, to donate their home and studio, as well as his entire artistic collection, and part of the filling, to the Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes (SBNA), so that a House-Museum could be created there for public fruition of its collection and personal library. For legal-administrative reasons that lasted until the middle of 2018, it has only recently been allowed access to the collection for study and its respective museological inventory, which has made it possible to identify different typologies, materials and production techniques that were considered to be of great scientific and technological progress.