Faro Modernism

Buildings, heritage and culture through the lens of an artist

A stylish exploration of one of the greatest cities for Modernist architecture in the world.

Modernism, characterized by geometric shapes and flat roofs, is one of the defining architectural styles of the 20th century throughout the world. And nowhere is it more in abundance than in Faro, capital of Portugal’s Algarve region. There are over 500 Modernist buildings in Faro, the highest concentration of these types of buildings in Southern Europe.

The city now has a specific Modernist buildings area, through which guided tours show the full range of detached and semi-detached grand houses, large-scale apartment blocks and little roads of terraced houses that are in fact cleverly disguised maisonettes.

The architectural ringleader was Manuel Gomes da Costa, an Algarvian by birth, who had gone to South America in search of work but who came back in the 1950s to transform the city. Inspired by the work of earlier architects including Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer, Costa and his colleagues set about creating a Modernist paradise in the southern sun. This book will give fans of inspirational architecture the first real opportunity to delve deep into Southern Europe’s ‘Palm Springs’.

Richard Walker, renowned photographer and artist, has been visiting the city for over 20 years and has amassed an astonishing record of the Modernist buildings in Faro. He hosts architectural tours, including one for the 20th Century Society. This is his first architectural book and includes many unseen photographs of the buildings that have gradually been restored and brought back to life over recent years.

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