THE ARTIST · LISBON
Rui Carruço
Between the figure
and abstraction.
Rui Carruço is a Portuguese visual artist with a studio in Restelo, Lisbon. His painting brings together figuration and abstraction through geometry, colour and texture.
Figures, urban landscapes and still lifes become starting points for exploring movement and perception. Vertical divisions and impasto give rhythm to his compositions, leaving room for the viewer’s interpretation.
BIOGRAPHY
A path between art and thought.
Following an academic background in the exact sciences, he developed his artistic training in drawing, printmaking and Renaissance painting techniques in Lisbon and Florence. The relationship between structure and gesture runs through his work: geometry organises the image, while colour and texture open up new ways of seeing.
In 2013, he co-founded the Atelier Internacional de Belas Artes in Lisbon. His career includes solo exhibitions and group projects in Portugal and abroad. Writing is also part of his practice: his novel Sombras da Arte was published in 2022.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Selected CV
More than two decades of artistic practice, with exhibitions in Europe, the Americas and Asia, and works in institutional and private collections in Portugal and abroad.
Exhibitions
- In PortugalSolo exhibitions at Casino Estoril Art Gallery, CNAP — Clube Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Coletivo 284 and Museu da Tapeçaria de Portalegre — Guy Fino.
- International exhibitionsAffordable Art Fair, Brussels; Galerie de Nesle, Paris; Broadway Gallery, New York; NY Arts Gallery Beijing. Exhibitions also in Spain, Poland and Brazil.
- 2026 — Entre o Abstrato e o InstanteCNAP — Clube Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Lisbon.
Collections
- Embassy of Portugal in PolandWarsaw, Poland.
- Fundação Oureana da CulturaOurém, Portugal.
- Municipal collectionsMunicipalities of Sintra, Lourinhã and Portalegre.
- Private collectionsWorks in collections in Portugal, the United States and Italy.
Awards and selections
- 2024 — Saatchi Art selectionsWorks selected for several Editorial Collections.
- 2017 — Prix Spécial20th Salon d’Art Contemporain de Paris, France.
- 2015 — Gold Medal and 1st PlaceSão Brás de Alportel International Painting Salon.
- 2014 — Gold Medal and 1st Place3rd Estoril International Art Salon — State of the Art.
Artistic training
Drawing at Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, Lisbon; printmaking at Cooperativa de Gravadores Portugueses; Renaissance painting techniques at Angel Academy of Arts, Florence.
Explore the full record of exhibitions, distinctions, collections, publications and interviews.
View full CVIN HIS OWN WORDS
Meet the artist.
A video introduction to Rui Carruço and his artistic world.
Explore exhibitions
WRITING
Sombras da Arte
Rui Carruço’s first novel, published in Portuguese in 2022, draws on his experience of the art world.
Discover the book