Born in 1938, on the island of S. Vicente, Cape Verde. He lived in Portugal between 1960 and 1974 where he completed a Painting course at the Escola Superior de Belas Artes de Lisboa. He returned to Cape Verde in 1975 to collaborate with the revitalization of the archipelago's popular culture. He founded Cooperativa Resistência in 1976 with the aim of keeping traditional Cape Verdean weaving alive. Between 1978 and 1989 he was Director of the National Crafts Center.

Since 1963, the artist has exhibited in group and individual exhibitions. Highlights include exhibitions in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, France, the United States of America, Portugal and, of course, Cape Verde. In 2005, Galeria Perve presented the first retrospective of Manuel Figueira held in Portugal. In this exhibition, “Visões do Infinito”, 126 works were presented from the period between 1963 (prior to his trip to Portugal) and works dated 2004. Due to his rich career, the The artist was awarded important distinctions. In 1988 he received the Jaime Figueiredo Prize (from the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Cape Verde) and in 2000 he received the Volcano Medal, a decoration awarded on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Independence, due to its importance in the Fine Arts and culture of Cape Verde.

Your work is is represented in numerous public and private collections from different countries, with emphasis on the pieces included in the collections of the Museu de Ovar, Banco Fomento, Banco Totta & Açores, A.N.P. (City of Praia, Cape Verde), Embassy of Cape Verde to the UN (New York), Fundação Pró-Justitae and Palace of Culture (Cape Verde).