Portraits and travel drawings by Álvaro Siza on view in Siena at Santa Maria della Scala, until 8 September 2019

Álvaro Siza. Viagem sem Programa,” curated by Greta Ruffino and Raul Betti and organized by the City of Siena and ProViaggiArchitettura, will be on view in the spaces of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena until 8 September. Portraits and travel drawings – made over a span of over 60 years by the architect and personally selected by him – a video-documentary and original contents selected for the occasion.

The project is the result of many encounters between the two curators and Álvaro Siza in his studio at Porto, shedding light on his extraordinary eidetic memory, to narrate not only the activity of the architect, but also his experience as a human being.

Taking its cue from the drawings made by the Portuguese master in his youth, during many trips in Italy and abroad, as well as more recent dinners with friends and moments of leisure, the narrative gradually unfolds in memories, encounters, ironic notes and visions.

Hence the idea of creating a unique and original work, first through the digital restoration of the drawings, to capture the strokes and signs of every sketch, and then through the reproduction on paper – through special screen printing, in editions signed by Siza) – to reveal the technical growth and sensitivity of the architect in his observation of reality.