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].