Bonifacio Lázaro. “Nazaré Triptych (People of the Sea)”, 1943, Oil on Canvas, Triptych, 200 x 242 cm,  Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofa, Madrid, Spain

Born on February 15, 1906, in Nazare, Portugal, Bonifácio Lázaro studied at the School of Arts and Crafts of Setúbal and later in Lisbon at the Escola Superior de Belas Artes. Born to parents linked to the fishing industry of Portugal, the expressionist painter dedicated a large part of his work to the people of his homeland, who lived their lives in a constant struggle with the sea. in 1927, Lázaro won the Annunciation Award, an annual award given to students from the Academy of Fine Arts for distinguished work in the genre of animalistic works.

In 1942, Bonifacio Lázaro won the Rocha Cabral Prize from the Lisbon National Academy of Fine Arts for the Nazaré Triptych “People of the Sea”and; in 1943, he obtained the Silver Medal at the National Fine Arts Exhibition for another triptych “Fishermen of Nazaré”,  related to the previous one. Both works, having important dimensions of 2 x 2.4 meters, are conceived as ethnographic altarpieces with an atmosphere of mysticism.

Recognized by many awards and medals, Lázaro’s works can publicly be seen at the José Malhoa Museum in Caldas da Rainha, the Museu da Nazaré, the Museu do Chiado in Lisbon, and the Columbus Museum in Georgia, USA. There are also several works at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and the Provincial Museum in Badajoz, Spain. Lázaro’s works are also included in many private collections.