• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Trending:
  • Kashmir
  • Elections
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Daily Times

Your right to know

  • HOME
  • Latest
  • Iran-Israel Tensions
  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
  • World
  • Editorials & Opinions
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Commentary / Insight
    • Perspectives
    • Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Featured
    • Blogs
      • Pakistan
      • World
      • Ramblings
      • Lifestyle
      • Culture
      • Sports
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • E-PAPER
    • Lahore
    • Islamabad
    • Karachi

Drawn to art? Then head to Lisbon, where you’ll find walls of beautiful blue-and-white

Head to Lisbon, one of the world’s oldest cities, and you’ll discover it is also an astonishing open-air art gallery. For hundreds of years, its walls have been adorned with glazed, ceramic azulejo tiles, and the predominantly blue-and-white ones have become synonymous with the Portuguese city and a major feature of walking tours.

The small polished stones were used to cover up the large areas of blank wall that were common inside buildings during the Gothic period, and they told stories about the city’s history, religion and culture.

Today, they still decorate churches, restaurants, bars, palaces and even homes, and are used extensively on street signs, public benches, along beach walls and stops on the Lisbon Metro.

They are also complemented with a more modern take from a new wave of street artists. Following the Portuguese revolution of 1974, there was an explosion of political murals in Lisbon, and today it is one of very few places in the world where artistic graffiti is embraced, sponsored and promoted – and it’s everywhere.

One of the major driving forces behind the current scene is artist Alexandre Farto, who uses the name Vhils for his striking work.

Still only 34, his art adorns top galleries worldwide, but it is in his home city of Lisbon where you can see the greatest collection of his endeavours, with 12 major pieces still on display.

His gallery Underdogs is in the Braco de Prata neighbourhood where Madonna, who is a frequent visitor and supporter, has a home.

It specialises in local artists and public arts programmes as well as the print, video and sculpture work of Vhils. It also organises tours of the city’s street art.

Vhils also curates the Iminente Festival which has taken place every September around Panoramico de Monsanto, a disused restaurant high on a hill overlooking the city, where you can find one of his creations – a portrait of the assassinated Brazilian politician Marielle Franco.

This year it’s moving Marvila, a former palace, in the east of the city.

Attracting thousands, it combines international and local musicians, public art, galleries, workshops and talks. Fatboy Slim and US rap star Common have headlined.

Book a street art tour of Lisbon at lisbonstreetarttours.com and on the three-hour stroll you’ll trace the history of the walls and discover other local street art stars.

Typical of the ethos towards street art in Lisbon, part of the cost – from £13 – goes towards creating new pieces to add to the city’s ever-growing collection.

Filed Under: Reviews

Submit a Comment




Primary Sidebar




Latest News

Easing tax burden on low-income groups tops PM’s to-do list now

Govt flays PTI for seeking talks with establishment

ECP reserves verdict in KP reserved seats case

Public discontent grows in PTI-ruled KP — Gallup

Ex-mill sugar price fixed at Rs165/kg

Pakistan

Easing tax burden on low-income groups tops PM’s to-do list now

Govt flays PTI for seeking talks with establishment

ECP reserves verdict in KP reserved seats case

Public discontent grows in PTI-ruled KP — Gallup

Ex-mill sugar price fixed at Rs165/kg

More Posts from this Category

Business

Finmin Aurangzeb rejects criticism of enhanced FBR powers as ‘propaganda’

‘Trade Dialogue’: UK, Pakistan to set up new business advisory council

Fertilizer prices hit record high

Gold prices up by Rs1,600

Rupee sheds 26 paisa

More Posts from this Category

World

Deadly heatwave in Spain claims over 1,100 lives in just two months

Trump to Putin: End war in 50 days or face crushing sanctions

Trump promises ‘major statement’ on Russia as NATO talks heat up

More Posts from this Category




Footer

Home
Lead Stories
Latest News
Editor’s Picks

Culture
Life & Style
Featured
Videos

Editorials
OP-EDS
Commentary
Advertise

Cartoons
Letters
Blogs
Privacy Policy

Contact
Company’s Financials
Investor Information
Terms & Conditions

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

© 2025 Daily Times. All rights reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.