Manuel Rosa

Manuel Rosa was born in Beja, Portugal, in 1953. In 1987 he completed the sculpture programme at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts. In the early 1980s he studied and collaborated with João Cutileiro. His work was first represented in the 1^st Symposium of Stone Sculpture, held in Evora in 1981, and his first exhibition took place in Módulo Gallery – Centro Difusor de Arte, Lisbon, in 1984. Working in stone (particularly limestone), bronze, glass and metal, Rosa explores the intrinsic characteristics of those materials through abstract shapes usually with figurative referents, which gives his work a symbolic dimension. In addition to solo and group exhibitions, he has participated in sculpture symposia and designed public art projects, such as Homenagem a D. João II [Memorial to King João II], 1998, a public sculpture located in Parque das Nações, Lisbon, in the ambit of Expo 98. Manuel Rosa was in charge of Editora Assírio & Alvim, where he continues to work as a freelance contributor, until 2012, when this publishing house was taken over by Porto Editora.