Luís Soares
Mozambique

Luís Soares

Luís Soares was born on August 22, 1952, in Maputo, Moçambique. 
Descendant of settlers, from a very early age he drank the white, black and Asian mixture characteristic of Mozambique at the time. These cultural and aesthetic experiences profoundly marked his life artistic. 

In 1959 he came to Portugal for the first time. Europe, visiting Spain and Portugal.

Self-taught, from a young age he dedicated himself to drawing, pastel, watercolor and gouache, having as his high school teacher the artist António Heleno, who definitely excites him about drawing.

In 1968 he attended drawing courses at the Escola de  Drawing and Painting at the Art Center of  Lourenço Marques, and then He executed his first works in oil.
He entered in 1969, as a student, at the Colegio Nun'Alvares de Tomar. in Portugal.

Returning to Mozambique, he held his first major exhibition at Casa Amarela in 1974, with the support of the Municipal Chamber of  Lourenço Marques. Exhibits at Casa Africana, in Lourenço Marques and at the auction-exhibition in favor of political prisoners.  He made the first sculptures cast in bronze and aluminum.  

In 1976 he learned to make his first pieces on the potter's wheel, at Olaria da Matola, near Lourenço Marques. He used the then abandoned Nucleus of  Art for a painting and ceramics studio, with colleague and friend Lobo Fernandes. 

Participate in the 1st Exhibition Anniversary of the Independence of Mozambique.

In 1977 he exhibited in Paris at Galerie La Passerelle de S. Louis; Holliday Inn - Mbabane
In Lisbon, in Gravura, he had his first contact with that technique. 

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian scholarship holder for engraving, at the Sociedade Cooperativa de Gravadores Portugueses - GRAVURA, with technical guidance from João Hogan, in 1979. In 1980 he created panels in tiles at the Viúva Lamego Factory and has his first contacts with Portuguese faience, which he falls in love with.

He has been exhibiting since 1974 and since then he has been exhibiting. Participated in more than 500 collective exhibitions all over the world: USA, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Mozambique, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Sweden and the United States. cia, Norway. His work has been a regular presence in international competitions such as Europ'art (Switzerland), Art – Miami (USA), Art La (USA), Art Dusseldorf (Germany) or Artexpo – New York (USA).