Sarah Affonso's work has been exhibited on several occasions, but never as a whole. There remains, therefore, much to be done, both in the field of research and, in particular, in the wider dissemination of the work of one of the most remarkable and, paradoxically, unknown Portuguese modernists.

In 2019, commemorating 120 years since Sarah Affonso was born, and with the objective of offering a renewed and comprehensive reading of her work to new audiences, two exhibitions, conceived in dialogue with one another, aimed to finally overcome this lack of public recognition. Following Sarah Affonso and the Popular Art of the Minho, on display in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum – Modern Collection, and Sarah Affonso: The days of small things, it is now the turn of the National Museum of Contemporary Art to exhibit other areas of her creation, revealing artistic aspects that have previously remained in the shadows.

While confirming the range of Sarah Affonso’s artistic production, it became apparent that specialists were needed in each one of the areas she devoted herself to, from embroidery and landscape gardening to contemporary history, anthropology and history of art, in order to allow for a more thorough analysis and contextualisation of her work.

From painting, embroidery and illustration to teaching, drawing studies and tile work, and the impressive design of a modern geography, informed by tradition and well-aware of reality, with which she conceived and built Bicesse, we present the work of this artist in an unprecedented project.