Art
“Inspired by art, designed for living”
The motto - Inspired by art, designed for living - reflects Vanguard Properties' commitment to the world of art and, ultimately, to the art of living that it advocates.
This involvement is first visible in the decision to include works of art in all of its projects, which Vanguard Properties considers to be a way of enhancing the value of the real estate investments it promotes, enriching the experience of residents and, at the same time, supporting the artists, artisans and designers who contribute their work to this unique universe in Portugal.
In addition to including works of art in its projects, the developer has carried various social responsibility initiatives and sponsorships that include renowned institutions such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation's Modern Art Center (CAM) and the Serralves Foundation, activities that reflect the way in which the founders of Vanguard Properties see their role in the community.
Serralves Foundation
Center for Modern Art - Gulbenkian
PORTICO Magazine
Founded in 2021, Portico is a bi-annual magazine with content in Portuguese and English. Focused on the world of art and culture, this editorial project seeks to be a metaphor for the "Palladian" portico transposed to our days and our reality, which is an invitation to discover the cosmopolitan universe of Vanguard Properties.
A typical cofee-table magazine, Portico's unusual graphic quality and excellent content make it a rare collector's item.
Know more about PORTICO here.
Art in Place
Lisbon
CASTILHO 203 - José Pedro Croft
Vanguard Properties invited the much-respected artist and sculptor José Pedro Croft to create a site-specific piece for its first completed project in Lisbon. Viewed as one of the most important Portuguese artists of his generation, Croft employed his usual approach, which meant that the space itself dictated the nature of the work. The sculpture consists of three panels attached to the structural pillar, which is located in the lobby of the building.
Covered on one side with the same wood that lines the walls, and on the other side with mirrors made visible in a pivoting movement, the piece creates a form of interplay, where the exterior landscape extends to the interior, confusing and dematerialising the architectural space, as well as the column upon which it rests.
Lisbon
CASTILHO 203 - André Cepeda and Miguel Palma
To mark the handover of the Castilho 203 building to its residents, Vanguard Properties invited two of the most prominent Portuguese contemporary artists, photographer André Cepeda and artist Miguel Palma, to create a series of pieces inspired by this impressive building.
This creative encounter produced a series of 120 works on paper – each one numbered and signed –, demonstrating the languages of the two artists intersecting in a surprising way.
This project also involved the publication of a catalogue containing all the works offered to residents, stakeholders and other important partners, whose contribution made Castilho 203 possible.
Amoreiras, Lisbon
A'TOWER - Cláudia R Sampaio
Cláudia R. Sampaio is the artist responsible for creating the tile mural that features in the A'Tower atrium.
Represented since 2018 by Manicómio, a not-for-profit organisation that supports artists with psychiatric issues, artist Cláudia R. Sampaio first graduated from film and stage school (Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema), before working as a screenwriter for film and television, as well as publishing six books of poetry. Produced by the Viúva Lamego tile factory, her mural (5.39m x 2.12m) depicts a dreamlike scene, replete with colours, shapes and figures, all from the imaginative world that the artist creates in her work.
Campolide, Lisbon
INFINITY - Joana Vasconcelos
Infinity Landscape is a 2.5-metre, site-specific artwork specially designed by Joana Vasconcelos, who is probably the most renowned Portuguese artist of today. This piece is part of the Crochet Paintings series developed by Vasconcelos since 2009, which originated pieces now found in major museums and international collections. Infinity Landscape reflects the artist's intention to question the boundaries between painting and sculpture.
Taking inspiration from the landscapes of classical paintings, while using a familiar domestic craft, Vasconcelos superimposes different hand-crocheted elements, which can vary regarding the choice of colours, complementary accessories or frame finishes.
Campolide, Lisbon
INFINITY - Inês Norton
Inês Norton's oeuvre very often deals with issues connected to the natural/organic vs artificial/synthetic, as well as certain concerns about sustainability, albeit often achieved through intentionally ironic discourse.
The piece at Infinity Tower forms part of the limited edition of Soft Parts sculptures, which came to fruition following artistic research into "the current mutation of our perception regarding the contours that define us." Untitled, which is made of lacquered aluminium, is a site-specific piece, devised by the artist using a “pieces for spaces and spaces for pieces” approach.
Comporta
DUNAS, Terras da Comporta - José Pedro Croft
"A monumental construction, coloured glass perilously balanced, and an imminent collapse”. This is how José Pedro Croft defines the sculpture originally devised in 2021 for Frieze Sculpture, one of the largest international exhibitions of contemporary sculpture, held every year in the British capital. Acquired by Vanguard Properties, since May 2023 the piece has occupied pride of place at Dunas - Terras da Comporta, where it contrasts with the great natural beauty by the surrounding pine forest.
Made up of a set of brightly coloured steel and glass panels, José Pedro Croft's 6-metre-high sculpture is perhaps the most significant artwork located in Comporta to date.
Armação de Pêra, Algarve
BAYLINE - Vanessa Barragão
Inspired by the Salgados Lagoon in the Algarve, Vanessa Barragão's artwork symbolises the fauna and flora that populate the landscape around Bayline. The various textures and natural forms that make up her work are achieved using ancestral techniques, as well as waste from the textile industry, thus addressing sustainability issues via handicrafts.
For this piece, Barragão teamed up with André Silva Sancho, an artisan and designer from the Algarve, who transforms materials such as glass and plastic into unique items.
Porches, Algarve
WHITE SHELL - Anna Westerlund
Invited to create a number of pieces for the White Shell resort, ceramicist Anna Westerlund found inspiration in the Algarve’s light and natural beauty, which she transformed into a rich and varied palette of warm earthy tones and the sea’s infinite blue that her work usually mirrors.
White Shell’s architecture was another source of inspiration for the ceramist, who explored the geometry and drama of light and shade that she combined with the plasticity of the materials to create a language of balance and formal harmony. The tangible quality that plays a key role in Westerlund’s approach can be found in everything she does, remaining equally true to the organic and natural style so characteristic of her work.
