Bertina Lopes

**Bertina Lopes** (July 11, 1924 – February 10, 2012) na she be a Mozambican-born, Italian painter den sculptor. Lopes ein work dey display a deep African sensibility plus saturated colours den bold compositions of mask-like figures den geometric forms. Na dem acknowledge am for she dey highlight 'the social criticism and nationalistic fervour that influenced other Mozambican artists of her time'.
## Life
Na dem born Lopes insyd Maputo (dem formerly know am as Lourenço Marques), Mozambique, for July 11, 1924, to an African mommie, wey na dem know ein family locally, den a Portuguese poppie, wey na he be a fieldworker. Na she be educated insyd Maputo, buh after ein second year of senior high school, she relocate go Lisbon make she plete secondary school, wer she study painting den drawing plus Lino António den Celestino Alves wey she earn a degree insyd painting den sculpture. Around dat time she meet artists such as Marcelino Vespeira, Carlos Botelho, Albertina Mantua, Costa Pinheiro, Júlio Pomar den Nuno Sampayo. Insyd 1953 Lopes return to Mozambique, wer na she marry poet Virgilio de Lemos, plus whom she get twin sons. Lopes teach Artistic Drawing for General Machado Girls’ Technical School for nine years. Although na dem appreciate am for ein innovative teaching skills, dese go occasionally enter insyd conflict plus de school ruling system. Insyd 1955 de Lemos publish an anti-colonial poem wey result insyd a trial for desecration of de Portuguese flag. He subsequently join de Mozambican Resistance (1954–61) wey na dem arrest am for subversion. De events reinforce Lopes ein sympathy for de weak den oppressed fringes of de population  – a subject wey go often recur insyd ein art.

She die insyd Rome insyd 2012 for de age of 86. Na Mozambican Presido Armando Guebuza describe Lopes as *'a humble, creative, combative and generous woman, who always demanded of herself that she surpass her previous achievements*'.

## Work
Na Lopes ein work be influenced by chaw sources, wey dey include Mozambican art den Portuguese modernism. Between 1946 den 1956, she embrace de art of Western painters den South American graffiti artists. Dey follow Picasso ein death insyd 1973, Lopes pay tribute to am plus an intense painting wey symbolize political repression insyd Spain. Once Lopes grow closer to antifascist circles, she start dey oppose de idea of "arte negra (black art) wey na she found inspiration insyd de poetry of José Craveirinha den Noémia de Sousa, wey dey incorporate social themes into ein work.

Insyd 2022 de Richard Saltoun Gallery insyd Rome hold a retrospective of Lopes ein work.

Insyd 2023 na dem include ein work insyd de exhibition *Action, Gesture, Paint: Women Artists and Global Abstraction 1940-1970* for de Whitechapel Gallery insyd London.

Ein work *Sto Sognando? La Città è questa?* dey insyd de collection of de National Museum of African Art, insyd Washington, D.C.

## Bibliography

* Nello Ponente, *Bertina Lopes*, Skema Centro d'Arte e Cultura, Rome, 1978
* Enrico Crispolti, *Lungo viaggio di Bertina Lopes*, Palazzo Venezia, Rome, 1986
* Pino Nazio, *Bertina Lopes: Il cerchio della vita*, Museo Campano, Capua, 2007
* Claudio Crescentini, *Bertina Lopes: Tutto (o quasi)*, Palombi Editori, Rome, 2013
* Claudio Crescentini, *Bertina Lopes: Arte e Antagonismo*, Erreciemme Edizioni, Rome, 2017
* *L'ultima Roma di Bertina Lopes. La casa-studio dell'artista raccontata per immagini [https://www.queenkristianka.com/catalogo]*, introduzione di Domenico Nardone, Roma, Queen Kristianka Edizioni, 2024 ISBN 979-12-81379-09-1

## References


## Read further

* Lopes biography on Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions
* Tribute and The Modernist Constellations of Bertina Lopes by Nancy Dantas on MoMA's post site.

## External links

* images of Lopes' work on ArtNet