The Portuguese cinematographer Manoel de Oliveira completed 105 years of age

With 105 years completed this December 11th 2013, Manoel de Oliveira is the oldest cinematographer in the world still active.

 Author of 32 feature-films, his first movie was a short-film: Rio Douro — Douro, Faina Fluvial (1931, admired by the foreign critics but dismised by the national ones. His last film is entitled A Igreja do Diabo (2012), but he already has plans for another one: O Velho de Restelo.

 To celebrate his anniversary, the National Museum of the Press (Museu Nacional da Imprensa) in Oporto Porto, inaugurated an exhibition that shows in chronological order the presence of Manoel de Oliveira in 105 national and international newspapers and magazines througout 80 years of activity where he directed over fifty movies.

 The Portuguese ceramics company Vista Alegre also celebrates his anniversary with the Aniki-Bobó porcelain teapot. With a graphic design created by the artist Manuel Casimiro, Manoel de Oliveira's son, this piece is available in a limited edition of 1000 and supplied with a special and exclusive edition of the movie that lends its title. Its price is €230 (€200 for the Vista Alegre members).

Portuguese architect and painter Nadir Afonso dies at the age of 93

The Portuguese architect and geometric abstractionist painter Nadir Afonso(GOSE) passed away this December 11th 2013 at the age of 93 at the Hospital de Cascais where he was hospitalized. Born on December 4th 1920 in Chaves he made his first "painting" on a wall of his home at the age of four: a red circle, which anticipated his life under the signs of rythim and geometric precision. His dedication to painting during his youth earned him his first national prize with 17 years of age. In 1938, Nadir goes to Oporto to study architecture at the School of Fine Arts. After earning his degree, Nadir Afonso moved to France in 1946 where he studied at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and became one of the pioneers in Kinectic art. Having colaborated with Le Corbusier during his stay in Paris and with Oscar Niemeyer in São Paulo between 1951 and 1954, he decides to abandon the architecture and dedicate solely to painting. Nadir returns to Paris where he works alongside Victor Vasarely, André Bloc, Richard Mortensen, Fernand Léger and August Herbin, all part of the Denise René Gallery. He also becomes friends with the composer and architect Xenákis. The first Kinetic painting in Portugal, Espacillimité (1956) is displayed in the publich showing at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles in 1958. The painting can now be seen in the Chiado Museum, Lisbon. Nadir Afonso achieved international recognition and many of his works are in museums. His most famous works are the Cities series, depicting placaes around the world. In 2010 he was still actively painting. He was awarded with the Order of St. James of the Sword (Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago da Espada) by the Portuguese Academy of Fine Arts.