Humberto Messias is an important Portuguese surgeon and a notable native of Monchique.
Humberto Messias was born in Monchique, a rural village in the mountains of Algarve in 1947 when life was difficult and it would take a long time to get from Monchique to Lisbon.
Today he´s the Director of the Surgery department of Ocidental Lisbon Hospitals (Egas Moniz Hospital, São Francisco Xavier Hospital and Santa Cruz Hospital) and also the director of the Surgery service at Hospital Santa Cruz (Follow link to see Humberto Messias in the board of directors: (
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The statue of Dr Humberto Messias is part of a set of 5 sculptures that were placed as an hommage to him as recognition from the population for friendship and dedication to he fellow citizens.
Humberto Messias didn´t want to have a statue on a pedestal so he asked that his statue would be represented as part of the daylife of Monchique people and that they could interact with it.
Melicio was invited to create this set and he decided to represent Humberto Messias seated like he was talking to the other statues around him. All sculptures are lifesize and made of Bronze and were placed in display in May 2010
Jorge Melicio was born in 1957 in Lobito, Angola.
Melicio went to the Antonio Arroio Decorative Arts High School and the Lisbon University Fine Arts School.
He lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal and works in bronze, stone, ceramics, drawing and resin.
Melicio has public works in various cities in Portugal, Italy, France, Mexico, Brazil, Romania, Russia, England, Iraq, USA, Palestine, Cuba, Libya and Spain.
He worked with the master sculptor Cardenas, now deceased, restorer at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.
(Adapted from the artist website (
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