Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Frac Grand Large, Dunkerque, in 2024.
Born in 1961 in Mangualde (Portugal), José Loureiro discovered painting at the age of sixteen and went on to study at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts. He began exhibiting at the end of the 1980s. An initial, expressive style marked by almost surrealist touches rapidly evolved into a more bare-bones approach. In 1993, his work took on a more abstract character that was grounded in his research into grids. The latter continue to inform his work today as Loureiro explores the mechanics of gesture, questions of scale, the synthesis of movements and the autonomy of colour.
