Artur Pastor

Portugal país de contrastes

Co-published by Majericon and the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (Lisbon City Council).

A photographic itinerary on the legacy of Artur Pastor (1922-1999) one of the few Portuguese photographers who, between the 1940s and 1990s, left us a very vast and extensive work in terms of the representation of Portugal: a collection of tens of thousands of photographs, including 6×6 and 35mm negatives, black and white or colour, slides and print proofs.

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Taking as a starting point the text Portugal país de contrastes [Portugal land of contrasts], written by Artur Pastor in April 1954 for the magazine Portugal Ilustrado, and his statement Portugal is not only visited with the eyes, but also with the heart, this book is constituted as a photographic itinerary on the legacy left by the photographer Artur Pastor, evoking his ambivalent restlessness, around writing and photography, the coast and the interior or rurality and modernity.

Bringing together a selection of 250 black and white photographs, among the many that make up the estate acquired from the family by Lisbon City Council in 2001, its aim is to make known the work of this unique photographer and his vision of Portugal, a country that has disappeared and altered in the memory of the younger generation, but reflecting a past that is present to those who lived through it.

In the selected images you will find an ethnographic survey of agricultural work, such as ploughing with oxen, sowing and harvesting, shepherds and their flocks, threshing on the threshing floor or mechanical threshing with a steam engine. In the fishing industry: tuna fishing on the Algarve coast, the art of shaving in Nazaré with oxen pulling the boats, the kneading and drying of the fish in the pots, the repair, transport and washing of the nets, the distribution of the fish forming squares on the sand for the auction in Sesimbra, handicrafts and their trades, fairs and markets, popular festivals, industry, urban or rural landscapes.

Majericon aims to spread awareness of Artur Pastor’s work and give this prolific yet little know photographer the recognition he deserves, placing his name among the ‘Masters of Photography’.

Size 22.6 x 22.7 x 2.5 cm | 264 pages | 1200 grams | Hardcover | ISBN: 9789893336533
Texts in Portuguese, English and French

Artur Pastor (1922-1999)

Artur Pastor was born in Alter do Chão, on May 1 st 1922. He completed the Agricultural Governors’ course at the School for Agricultural Governance in Herdade da Mitra, Évora, in 1942. In the same year, Pastor produced his first photographic work to accompany his thesis for the course and discovered a passion for photography during this period, which would continue to fascinate him until the end of his life.

In Évora he undertook various photographic projects, with his work being used in illustrated publications, postcards, stamps and posters. He contributed opinion pieces and literary features to various newspapers in the south of the country. At the age of 23 he presented his first exhibition “Motivos do Sul”.

In the early 1950s he joined the Ministry of Economy in Montalegre and was then transferred in 1953 to the Director General for Agricultural Services where he founded the photographic archive. Concurrently, he collaborated with other public organisations, such as the National Boards of Olive Oil, Wine and Fruit and the National Federation of Wheat Producers, among others. In 1958 he published an author’s edition entitled “Nazaré” and in 1965, “Algarve”, two albums with texts and photographs of his own.

Pastor regularly participated in exhibitions and photography salons, both in Portugal and abroad, where he received his first prizes. His work has been published by several national and international photography magazines, including “The Times” and “National Geographic”, among others.

He was commissioned by various official bodies and institutions, mainly in the field of agriculture and tourism. He was involved in official exhibitions and fairs, at home and abroad, photographing continuously until his death in 1999. In 2001 his archive was acquired from his family by Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa [Lisbon City Council].

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