Manuel Taraio was born in 1965, in the city of Coimbra. He studied painting at the School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux, and later, in 1982, attended the landscape architecture course at the National School of Decorative Arts in Nice.

His first exhibition took place in 1972, at the "O Primeiro de Janeiro" Gallery, in Coimbra. He began to exhibit regularly from 1980 onwards, having held solo exhibitions in several galleries in Nice, France, and in Portugal.

He developed his work for around 3 decades in Caldas da Rainha, where he lived and had a studio, until his death. to his death. His last exhibition took place from October 10th to November 16th at Casino Estoril, in 2008, the year he died. p>