Sérgio Pombo was born in Lisbon in 1947. Having trained as an engraver at the Cooperative Society of Portuguese Engravers (1965-1967), Pombo studied painting at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts in 1972. He travelled during his academic years, as a fellow of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (1976-1979) and in Germany (1992-1993), becoming one of the earliest representatives of hyperrealism.
Pombo belonged to the ‘5 + 1’ group together with the sculptor Virgílio Domingues and the painters João Hogan, Júlio Pereira, Guilherme Parente and Pombo’s wife, Teresa Magalhães.
Hyperrealism, although photographic in essence, often entails a softer, much more complex focus on the subject depicted, presenting it as a living, tangible object. Textures, surfaces, lighting effects and shadows appear clearer and more distinct than the reference photo or even than the subject itself. Pombo’s painting addresses problems related to the perception of the intellectual correlation between colour identification and item recognition. Large areas of solid colour began to appear in contrast to groups of figures.
From allusions to the surrounding world, as contemporary testimony to a space socially marked by constructions and symbols, Pombo moved to a more personal expressionism, where the human figure, to scale, identifies with the canvas and serves as the fulcrum of the pictorial activity.
Throughout his career, Pombo has represented Portugal at the Cagnes-sur-Mer Painting Festival (1980); the 18th São Paulo Biennial (1985); and the 16th Paris Biennial (1992). Notable awards received include: National Engraving Award (1981); Engraving Award from the Banco de Fomento Nacional (1983); Lagos Acquisition Award (1984); Banif Painting Prize (1993).
Pombo’s recent exhibitions include:
Giefarte, Lisbon (2008); Galeria Vértice, Cascais (2008); Artistas Unidos – Convento das Mónicas, Lisbon (2007); Galeria Valbom, Lisbon (2007); Galeria Moçambicana de Fotografia, Maputo, Mozambique (2007); Artistas Unidos – Teatro Taborda, Lisbon (2006); Centro de Arte Moderna, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon (2001); Galeria Reverso, Lisbon (2000).
