Abel Bravo da Mata was born in Lisbon in 1940.

He studied Decorative Painting and had Abel Manta, Lino António, Frederico George, Estrela Faria, Querubim Lapa and Luís Reis as masters.

Of the exhibitions he held, the following stand out: in 1981, 1st Autumn Salon, Estoril Casino Art Gallery, Collective. I Autumn Salon of Visual Arts, Hotel Ritz Intercontinental, Lisbon, Colectiva; in 1991, Espaço D’Arte Ditec, Serigraphy Exhibition, Lisbon, Collective; in 1994, Espaço Salvador Caetano, Exhibition of Painting, Ceramics, and Tapestry, Lisbon, Collective; in 1998, “Os Oceanos”, Art and Culture Nova Imagem Gallery, Exhibition of Paintings, Ceramics and Video, Collective. Sesimbra Gallery, Painting and Ceramics, Collective. 1st Alenquer Biennial of Figurative Expression Art, Collective Painting; in 1999, Centro Cultural de Belém “Arte por Timor”, Painting, Collective. Nova Imagem Gallery, Lisbon, Collective and in 2000 – Nova Imagem Gallery “Women of the 21st Century”, Lisbon, Solo. Cardeais Gallery, Lisbon, Colectiva. Axalink, Lisbon, Colectiva.

He also held travelling exhibitions in Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Marseille, Rome, Florence, Hilversum, Cologne, New York, Washington, Houston, Tokyo, Belgium and Mexico.

He passed away in July 2020.