Virginia Goes: ART AND CHESS
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
http://www.virginiagoes.com/LANG_ENG/ARTISTA_01.php
The Portuguese plastic artist Virginia Goes is this month giving an exposition of her work, entitled ”A Comunicação e o Xadrez na Arte” at the Fundação Portuguesa das Comunicações (Rua do Instituto Industrial, 16, in Lisbon, between Cais Sodré and Santos).
Also on exhibition is a chess set called Sublime Fantasia (above) as well as a bilingual book (portuguese and english) with the same title. This book contains 25 of the artist’s works connected with chess and is filled with a large number of illustrations.
Apart from the artist’s personal webpage (given above), information about this exhibition can be found at:
Curriculum Vitae
Virgínia Goes
Born in Gândara dos Olivais, Leiria, Portugal (1945).
Education
• Bachelor degree in Decorative Arts – The Ricardo Espírito Santo Silva Foundation (1966-69).
• Master’s degree in Architecture – The College of Fine Arts of Lisbon (1975-80).
• Higher degree and Complementary degree in Painting – The National Society of Fine Arts of Portugal (1989-93).
• Course on Subjects of Aesthetics and History of the Contemporary Art (1994).
• Other courses of painting abroad, namely in Italy (1990) and in the United States of America (1997).
From the last individual exhibitions, two paintings under the subject of the symbolism stood out: Philidor and The Magic of Chess. The first one originated a university work entitled Virgínia Goes: The Magic of Chess which was presented in the Course of Social and Cultural Communication in the Portuguese Catholic University (2004). The second one inspired a prize-winning short film with the same title presented at the Évora Cinema Festival (2005).
Collective Exhibitions (Selection)
• Guest plastic-artist of Projecto Dez, Santiago Alquimista, Lisbon (2006).
• Subject: Música no Coração (The Sound of Music), Town Hall of Sintra (2006).
• Subject: The Water, Parque das Nações, Pavilhão Atlântico, Lisbon and EuroParque, Congress Room, Santa Maria da Feira (2005).
• Casino do Estoril (CEDEMA), Lisbon (2005).
• Subject: Self-Portrait, Town Hall of Sintra (2005).
• Invitation from the direction of The Water Museum to paint the Aqueduct of the Free Waters: Aqueduto, Ah Que Ducto! (acrylic over screen, 97 × 130 cm), Lisbon (2004), presently part of the collection of The Water Museum of EPAL, Lisbon.
• The AcademyArts, of the Academy of Management selected six of her paintings, from numerous works of several worldwide artists, for the its Annual Conference that took place in New Orleans (2004). One of these paintings is now part of the private collection of Mariusz Kossarski, chess champion of the State of Connecticut (CT), USA (2001).
• Under the subject of the sadness of chess, one of her last works The Solitude of the Loser was chosen to be shown in the collective exhibition of the 32nd Annual Art Show entitled How beautiful it all is! at The Mark Twain Library’s Art Show in Redding (CT), USA (2004). This painting is presently part of the private collection of Prof. Chris Poulson, of the California Institute of Technology (CALTECH).
Individual Exhibitions
• III International Festival of Chess of Albufeira, Municipal Galery, Municipality of Albufeira, Portugal (2006/07).
• III Art of Management and Organization, Akademia Pedagogiczna, Cracow, Poland (2006).
• Republic and Resistance Library-Museum, Espaço Cidade Universitária, Lisbon (2005).
• Academy Arts, Academy of Management, Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawai, USA (2005).
• The Water Museum of EPAL, Reservatório da Patriarcal, Lisbon (2004).
• Republic and Resistance Library-Museum, Espaço Grandella, Lisbon (2004).
• Misericórdia Chapel, Sines, Portugal (2004).
• 57th International Atlantic Economic Conference, Altis Hotel, Lisbon (2004).
• National Society of Authors, Lisbon (2004).
• Books & Co., Hamden, CT, USA (2003).
• 53rd International Atlantic Economic Conference, Paris (2002).
• Mitra Municipal Gallery, Municipality of Lisbon (2001).
• 52nd International Atlantic Economic Conference, Philadelphia, USA (2001).
• Macúti Housing Complex, Beira, Mozambique (2001).
• University of Bridgeport, CT, USA (2000).
• Pintura com Lata, Bulhosa Booksellers, Lisbon (1998).
• Carol Schmitt Contemporary Studio, Monroe, CT, USA (1998).
• Electicity Museum, Tagus Central, Sala dos Cinzeiros, Lisbon (1997).
• Sóssé, Lisbon (1996).
• House of Culture D. Pedro V, Municipality of Mafra, Portugal (1995).
• Municipal Gallery of Rio de Mouro, Municipality of Sintra (1994).
. Architects’ Design, RIGOM’s ShowRoom, Lisbon (1993).
Portugal Protocol organized a gala dinner on the 3rd March, 2009 “The Chess of the Poets” to present some of Virgínia Goes’ works.
The guests were received in the Luís XV’s room, in the Literary Guild, in Lisbon, and after dinner the actress Amélia Videira read Fernando Pessoa’s poetry, poet who gave the motto to this event and to the works presented.
The artist revealed her inspiration in the poet and in the chess – subjects of her preference – in the triptych that gave the name to this dinner, as well as in the original drawings “ Fernando Pessoa “, in limited series.
