Celebrating the centenary of the surrealist master Mário Cesariny de Vasconcelos (1923-2006, Portugal), (his) Freedom’s House and Perve Galeria hold “Primeira Pessoa” and “… e os seus contemporâneos”, two exhibitions that celebrate the extraordinary life and profound legacy of one of the greatest personalities of the arts and poetry in Portugal. Exploring his unwavering commitment to freedom, among a significant part of unpublished material, hundreds of documents, photographs, texts and works of art by Cesariny and several of his contemporaries are presented. Among other correspondence, it is possible to see the one exchanged between Cesariny and Yoko Ono, where the Japanese artist commissioned an artwork to honour John Lennon in Central Park, New York. Revealing the impact of the author, and of Portuguese Surrealism, not only in Portugal but also in the wider context of the world, including in the Portuguese-Speaking countries, the show is punctuated by the artworks of African artists, which show affinities with the artistic practice of Cesariny.

Image Credits: Mário Cesariny Photo by Eduardo Tomé