Gazete Azulejos
A tile painting atelier that researches, promotes and preserves the Portuguese tiles used to decorate buildings.
Portuguese tiles are much more than small glazed ceramics
The first tiles arrived in Portugal at the end of the 15th century. But we have to travel through time until the 19th century so that they began to be produced massively as facade coatings. This is how Portugal began to change its skin from neutral tones to a bright and colorful one, gradually becoming one of the most characteristic signs of identity of the country.
They were hand made in the many factories that existed in the country. But sadly and due to a drastic reduction in the demand for tiles, today almost all of them have ceased their activity. Their buildings have disappeared or are completely in ruins, so the preservation of these tiles is of great importance.
With designs inspired by the patterns of Holland, Spain or England and an infinite variety of designs and colors, these tiles are in their own right one of the most beautiful heritages.
But some Portuguese tiles are disappearing…
Many of the Portuguese tiles are removed in the process of reconstruction of the buildings or are stolen to be sold as souvenirs, which leads to the definitive loss of many patterns. To avoid this, we are developing three side projects:
Os Azulejos do Porto
We are building a non-profit catalogue of all the patterns that decorate the facades of Porto, where we are based. The project also includes important research work on these tiles, the factories that produced them, the techniques, influences, etc.
Gazete Azulejos
Is a tile painting atelier where we make hand painted replicas of the Portuguese tiles using traditional techniques to avoid their loss and oblivion. We do also custom tile murals inspired in Portuguese patterns and collaborations with young and emergent artists.
Tile Painting Workshops
We make workshops to prevent the disappearance of this craft, teaching how the original tiles were painted. We also make known the history of facade tiles so that their important heritage value is understood.
Buying in our shop or participating in our workshops you will be supporting “Os Azulejos do Porto“.