José Vital Branco Malhoa, known simply as José Malhoa (28 April 1855 – 26 October 1933) was a
Portuguese painter.
Biography
Malhoa was, with
Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro
Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (Almada, 21 November 1857 – Lisbon, 6 November 1929), who is usually referred to as Columbano, was a Portuguese Realist painter. Usually considered the greatest Portuguese painter of the 19th century, he has been ...
, the leading name in Portuguese
naturalist painting in the second half of the 19th century. He often painted popular scenes and subjects, like his two most famous paintings: ''The Drunks'' (1907) and ''Fado'' (1910). He always remained faithful to the naturalist style, but in some of his works there are
impressionist
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
influences, as in his ''Autumn'' (1918), that can be considered an "impressionist exercise".
Malhoa was born in
Caldas da Rainha
Caldas da Rainha () is a medium-sized Portugal, Portuguese city in the Oeste Subregion, Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura Province (1936–1976), Estremadura, and in the Leiria District, district of Leiria. The city serves a ...
, and studied art at the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon from the age of 12. He died in
Figueiró dos Vinhos, aged 78. At the end of his life, he saw the inauguration of the
José Malhoa Museum, in
Caldas da Rainha
Caldas da Rainha () is a medium-sized Portugal, Portuguese city in the Oeste Subregion, Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura Province (1936–1976), Estremadura, and in the Leiria District, district of Leiria. The city serves a ...
.
''Malhoa's House'', also known as the Dr. Anastácio-Gonçalves House-Museum, in
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, was originally built in 1905 as a residence and studio for the artist. It was bought by Dr. Anastácio-Gonçalves, an art collector, a year before the painter's death, and it became a museum in 1980, showcasing several items from his collection, namely works from Portuguese painters of the 19th and 20th century.
From 1921 until his death he was the master of the renowned painter Maria de Lourdes de Mello e Castro, who was his last disciple.
In 1933, the year of his death, the José Malhoa Museum was created in Caldas da Rainha. He had artistic collaboration in the magazine ''Atlântida''.
(1915-1920). His well known studio, named "Casulo", in Figueiró dos Vinhos, is restored and available for visits.
He was buried in the Prazeres Cemetery, in Lisbon.
Works

The
Soares dos Reis National Museum houses ''Desalento'' (Despondency); '; ' and the famous '.
References
Literature
*Henriques, P.: ''José Malhoa''; INAPA, Lisbon, 1996.
External links
Biography and Works in
Portuguese.
José Malhoa - artworks at Google Arts & Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malhoa, Jose
1855 births
1933 deaths
People from Caldas da Rainha
19th-century Portuguese painters
19th-century Portuguese male artists
Portuguese male painters
20th-century Portuguese painters
20th-century Portuguese male artists