Porto’s people have made great achievements in architecture, music, art, fashion and literature. Its modern architecture saw its evolution in the 1920s, as well as many cultural, social, political and economic changes, with Marques da Silva and Tomas Augusto Soller at the forefront. The city’s Art Nouveau architecture was exceptional, but did not boast many followers in Portugal.

The rebirth of the decorative arts influenced Portugal’s architecture. Its Art Nouveau was based on the French model, applied to the features of national art, including Rua Galeria de Paris, built in stone, and Rua Candido dos Reis, which features large metallic revetments. Buildings of this type are characterised by an inventive combination of steel and glass.

The most important architectural achievement in the 20th Century was the ‘New State’. Initially, the state was not prone to accept this concept, but eventually ensured support for the architects who were active in it. In turn, the leading architecture figures Carlos Ramos and Rogerio de Azevedo developed the foundations of modern construction. Carlos Ramos became principal of the Porto School of Fine Arts in 1952, while Rogerio de Azevedo designed the Comercio do Porto’s Garage.

Carlos Carneiro and Dominguez Alvarez made important contributions to Porto’s artistic heritage. Carneiro, born in Porto in 1900, was greatly influenced by French artists. His family traveled to Paris often when he was a young boy, and he continued to visit Paris as an adult. He worked as an illustrator, an art critic and a journalist, bordering on historian.
An exhibition of Alvarez’s art works took place in Porto in 1929. A display of his oil paintings and water canvases was organised at the Silva Porto Salon in 1936.