A little of the very sculptor João Cutileiro

On one of my several walks in Ribatejo, I stopped once again to admire, the Guerreiro Templário, one of the works of João Cutileiro, this is for me the Guardian of the Castle of Almourol.

Who hasn't heard of the sculptor João Cutileiro or his works? I think that very few, certain that even the most distracted have seen some of his work here and there because many of his works exist in our country and in the world.

João Pires Cutileiro, was born on 6/26/1937 and died on 5/1/2021 in Lisbon, was the second son of Amália Pires and José Cutileiro (OMS doctor), having spent part of his youth living in countries, lived and has worked in Évora since 1985.

From an early age, he lived with artists and thinkers until, in 1946, he was invited by the artist António Pedro to work in his studio, not thinking that it would be enough and always wanting more, there were several ateliers.

It was in marble that he found his strength of expression, dedicating himself to being, as he once stated "a maker of objects for the Western intellectual bourgeoisie".

Several exhibitions were held in Portugal and other countries, having won several honorable mentions in the Soquil Prize in 1971, on August 3, 1983, was awarded the rank of Officer of the Old, Nobilissima and Clarified Military Order of Sant 'Iago da Espada, of Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit, received the Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of Évora and the New Univerty of Lisbon and in 2018, received the Medal of Cultural Merit in Évora.

Many of his works are fixed to the ground and inscribed on the stone. several of them iconic and some controversial, largely due to the misunderstanding that and misunderstandings that his work has been causing over the decades.

Eroticism, love and nudity are common themes in his works, from which the feminine and voluptuous figures in marble sculptures often stand out, almost always mentioned and known as the girls of Cutilieiro.

Among the controversial works and misunderstood by the vast majority, I always remember when the iconic sculpture of homage to the 1974 revolution was inaugurated in 1997. at the top of Eduardo VII Park and still know today as the "Pirilau" and aims to symbolize the manly strength and the vigor of April.

Through his works, he lets us know the power of words, action, creativity, freedom, and knows no shame.

The Sculptor João Cutileiro, know and admired by many, contested and controversial for others will be forever linked to the culture and history of Portugal