A Collection of Devils by José Santos Silva

The exhibition "A Collection of Devils", by the collector José Santos Silva, will be inaugurated next Saturday at 16:30 in the Chapel Room of the Pottery Museum. It will be open to the public until 4 May 2025. "A Collection of Devils" is an exhibition dedicated to the representation of devils, mostly made of ceramics. Santos Silva stands out for assembling pieces created by renowned and notable potters, ceramicists, and national artisans. This dedication places him at an excellent level, making him a legitimate representative of the history and culture of an important Portuguese artisanal community. By sharing his collection in this temporary exhibition with the Pottery Museum, Santos Silva provides the public with a privileged opportunity to establish a direct connection with artisanal productions of great cultural value. The pieces, produced over an extensive period, highlight the importance of this theme in the imagination and artistic expression of Portuguese artisans.

About the Collector

José Santos Silva, a technician at the Santos Rocha Municipal Museum since 1976, is a collector distinguished by his curious passion for devils, demons, and evil spirits. This collection, which started innocently and unassumingly, has grown over the years and now consists of around 300 pieces, created by more than 100 artists, including well-known names in popular art and new creators, spanning a wide variety of styles and techniques. His connection to fired clay began at the annual São João fair in Figueira da Foz, when his mother, Maria de Lourdes, bought him the first figurine from Barcelos—a whistle. At first, it was not about building a collection but rather acquiring random pieces of folk art. Later, this passion was solidified with his professional work at the museum, where he began to handle archaeological ceramic fragments, deepening his knowledge of ceramics and its various technical processes. It was when he was gifted the first devil by Rosa Ramalho that his desire to collect this figure was sparked, turning a simple curiosity into a true passion. A turning point in his journey as a collector came when he decided to quit smoking. Instead of spending the money he previously allocated to cigarettes, he chose to invest in a more focused and discerning collection. Thus, he began acquiring devils from artisans in Barcelos, who, at that time, were practically the only ones to represent this figure in such an expressive way. Over time, his collection expanded to include devils from all over the country and abroad.