José Luis Porto

José Luis Porto was born in Vilar de Mouros in northern Portugal in 1883. He studied at the Escola Industrial Marquês de Pombal and then at the École des Arts Industriels in Geneva (1907-1913). He became famous as a painter, illustrator and architect.

In Geneva he met his first wife, Juliette Matthey de l’Etang. She was from a well-known Genevan family and an artist as well.

In 1918 he was awarded first prize at the Concours Galland. His painting style, influenced by Ferdinand Hodler, brought him several public commissions. He decorated the Salle de Faubourg and the Saint-Jean and Mail schools. In 1921, he moved to Paris before returning to Portugal for good in 1934, where he worked with the Engenheiros Reunidos, among others, and designed numerous buildings in the Art Deco style. He died in Amarante in 1965.