At Viúva Lamego you can find tiles with a vivid shine and deep, rich colours, whose presence is felt profoundly thanks to its unique glaze.
Viúva Lamego tiles, from traditional to contemporary, have passed through the hands of hand painting masters, which make the best use of their knowledge and experience, using traditional methods that make each tile unique.
Founded in Lisbon in 1849, Viúva Lamego was one of the very first ceramic factories in Portugal. In the early days, the factory mainly produced utilitarian articles in red clay, tiles in white clay, and some faience. With the advent of the twentieth century, tiles became the main product of Viúva Lamego. At the time Viúva Lamego already maintained a close connection with artists, with workshops placed conveniently at their disposal. Since the1930s, one of the pillars of Viúva Lamego has been its collaboration with plastic artists who identified the creative potential in tiles. Visiting the factory, talking with the craftsmen, and actively participating in all phases of the projects, creators from different quarters contributed to the revitalisation of artistic ceramics in Portugal.
From the moment that art began to find its place in public buildings, the relationship between architects and plastic artists narrowed. Today, the Masters of the Viúva Lamego factory are called to contribute to innovative architectural projects by the likes of Siza Vieira, Souto Moura, and Rem Koolhaas – all Pritzker Prize winners. Notable examples featuring tiles produced by Viúva Lamego are Siza Vieira’s Portuguese Pavilion built for the Expo 98 and the underground metro stations of Baixa-Chiado (Lisbon) and S. Bento (Porto), which clearly demonstrate how contemporary architecture and tiles can complement each other.
Such notable projects elevate tiles to the artistic plane. By enabling tile to serve as a mean for beautiful art, Viúva Lamego guarantees that tradition is maintained while renewing itself.
The path walked by Siza Vieira, Cargaleiro, Erró, and others are being continued by a young generation of artists and architects who see in the tile a material to freely experiment, reinvent, and take risks.
Creators with innovative ideas find In Viúva Lamego the knowledge of centuries of experience and an environment that fosters bold creations.