Nadir Afonso

Nadir Afonso was born in Chaves, Portugal, on December 4, 1920, and passed away in Cascais on December 11, 2013. He graduated in Architecture from the Escola Superior de Belas-Artes in Porto, Portugal. In 1946, Afonso moved to Paris to study painting at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he received a scholarship from the French government, arranged by the Brazilian artist Cândido Portinari. Between 1946 and 1948, and again in 1951, he worked alongside renowned architect Le Corbusier, particularly on the Radiant City project in Marseille. During this period, he also spent time in the studio of French artist Fernand Léger. From 1952 to 1954, Afonso worked in Brazil with architect Oscar Niemeyer. In 1954, he returned to Paris, where he reconnected with artists involved in kinetic art, particularly focusing on the development of his own artistic approach, which he called “Espacillimité”. This series explored the relationship between space and limit in a dynamic, animated form. Afonso was at the forefront of the international art scene, and in 1958, he exhibited his kinetic works, including the “Espacillimités”, at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles in Paris. In 1965, he definitively left architecture behind to focus solely on his artistic career. Over time, he became increasingly isolated, dedicating himself entirely to his art and embracing a life centered on creation and experimentation.