Although the Portugal Pavilion is one of the most emblematic buildings in the city, few Sevillians know that the building we can see today at number 1 Avenida del Cid, "is barely a third of what was the representation of the neighboring country for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929» . This was recorded yesterday at the conference given by the professors and specialists in the history of the Portuguese Pavilion in Seville for the 1929 exhibition, the Portuguese João Paulo Martins and the Spanish Amparo Graciani , who spoke on «90 years of the Portuguese pavilion » before more than 200 people, in a ceremony presided over by the Consul General of Portugal, João Queirós .
During the conference, the evolution of both countries was analyzed, to the point that “today they attract 105 million tourists a year.
The fact that it was "Ibero-American" was also highlighted, which opened the doors to Portugal and Brazil, a concept that also unites two languages, today spoken by more than 700 million people in the world. According to Graciani, "the engine of the International Congress on the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929" to be held in May, and is specialized in "this corner of our country in Seville", said Queirós during his speech, and recalled that the National Pavilion (the which remains today), and the Macao Pavilion, as a Chinese pagoda (now disappeared) were two of the main constructions of the Portuguese presence.
“The first was characterized by the “brilliance and immediacy in its construction”, both for its size and for the cost (3.5 million shields of the ten that the Portuguese presence cost)”, he said. The initial location was different and the press of the time hardly mentioned it because "perhaps there was an intention for Portugal not to shine so brightly at the Exposition", said the professor at the School of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, João Martins , who analyzed the political situation of the time.
The presence of Portugal in previous exhibitions (Paris in 1900 and Rio de Janeiro in 1922) was reviewed , the latter also featured a baroque pavilion in the Neo-Juan V style , similar to the one that would characterize the representation of Seville. «The Seville Exhibition was a new starting point, an opportunity to give a new image and a strong presence of the country», he added. It was designed by the brothers Carlos and Guillermo Rebelo de Andrade, winners of the competition, whose bases included the use of Portuguese materials such as granite from Viana, calcareous stone from Pero Pinheiro and marble from Estremoz.
With the exception of the National Pavilion, the rest of the construction was temporary. It was a building 110 meters long and 60 meters wide in which 24 artists participated. Different rooms (dedicated to the colonies, art, agriculture, commerce, industry and the ballroom) and patios that were organized around a large arcaded patio decorated with ceramic plinths, in the center of which was the Fountain of Youth, of João da Silva, also author of the commemorative medal.
Two patios dedicated to the Navigators, with access from the Avenida de Portugal, which displayed eight busts, currently in the collections of the City Museum (Lisbon). Also important were the sculptures, reliefs and paintings in the upper areas of each room, works by Barradas, Manta, Lopes, Aldemira, Gomes da Fonseca, Abel Martins or Benvindo Ceia , who together with the sculptors, plasterers, potters and others artists managed to make a great pavilion, whose best symbol in its permanent part is today its 26-meter dome topped with glazed tile.
After the exhibition, many pieces were dispersed, but a large part returned to the Lisbon Museum, to the Navy Museum, and some paintings went to Porto. From the beginning almost the entire pavilion was going to be temporary. In 2004 the term of 75 years ended and another 75 years were extended, since the building is owned by the Seville City Council.
After the sample, the pieces were scattered. The sculptures went to museums and the paintings to individuals. Graciani located a model of the pavilion in 1990 and its restoration is underway.
The event ended with the projection of a film about the pavilion and a tasting of Portuguese sweets and broths.
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