In 2023, the centenary of Fernando Távora’s birth (1923–2005) was celebrated. A key figure of the so-called “Porto School,” Távora played a formative role for two major protagonists of contemporary architecture: Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura, both recipients of the Pritzker Prize. To mark this occasion, conferences, research initiatives, and publications were promoted both in Portugal and abroad. Nevertheless, knowledge of Távora’s work outside of Portugal remains limited.

This awareness gave rise to the exhibition “Távora. Architectures, Landscapes, Genealogies,” curated by Barbara Bogoni and Marco Cillis as part of the research activities of the UNESCO Research Lab at the Mantua campus of Politecnico di Milano. The initiative stems from a research and teaching project developed within the Architectural Design III Studio, which brought together Italian and Portuguese professors, researchers, and students.

The exhibition offers a contemporary reading of Távora’s work, highlighting his design methodology and educational influence: an architecture that engages in dialogue with history and landscape, weaving together modernity and tradition, and continuing to provide critical and design tools for new generations. The installation is made entirely from recyclable materials.

The exhibition features eleven emblematic projects: some iconic, such as the Casa dos Vinte e Quatro in Porto or the Pousada of Santa Marinha da Costa in Guimarães; others less known but revealing of the architect’s sensitivity, such as Praça 8 de Maio in Coimbra, where one finds a careful balance between old and new, typological variety, attention to landscape, and appreciation of vernacular architecture. Completing the narrative is a photographic selection by Alessandra Chemollo, an internationally renowned photographer and architect, who over the years has documented the work of Távora, Siza, and Souto de Moura, shaping the “visual genealogy” evoked in the exhibition’s title.