António Manuel Soares dos Reis (

Vila Nova de Gaia Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a populati ...

, 14 October 1847 -

, 16 February 1889) was a Portuguese sculptor.

Studies

He first studied at the Portuense Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated in sculpture in 1867. He studied at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

in Paris, from 1867 to 1870, where he achieved several prizes, and in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(1871–1872). It was there that he executed his finest work, in Carrara marble, the acclaimed "''O Desterrado''" ("The Exiled"), a touching image of neoclassical, romantic and realist resemblances, that is the masterpiece of Portuguese sculpture. After returning to Portugal, he returned to

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, where he taught at the Portuense Academy of Fine Arts. Misunderstood and little credited in life, he committed suicide, aged only 41. He is considered, by far, one of the leading names in Portuguese realist

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Fame

The finest collection of his pieces is shown in a room dedicated to him at the National Museum Soares dos Reis, in Porto, including "''O Desterrado''" and the touching and kind figuration of the "Count of Ferreira" (1876). In 1949, a

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

was made about him, entitled "''O Desterrado - Vida e Obra de Soares dos Reis''" (The Exiled - Life and works of Soares dos Reis). It was directed by Manuel Guimarães and starred José Amaro, and .IMDB
O Desterrado
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External links

References

1847 births 1889 deaths Portuguese sculptors Portuguese male sculptors Portuguese Roman Catholics Artists who died by suicide University of Porto alumni Suicides by firearm in Portugal People from Vila Nova de Gaia 19th-century Portuguese people 19th-century Portuguese sculptors 1880s suicides {{Portugal-sculptor-stub