Atelier Daciano da Costa
27 — 31 May
10:00 — 18:00
LDW Highlights
Within the landscape of Lisbon Design Week 2026, the Atelier Daciano da Costa opens itself to the public as a place where time folds, and memory breathes. More than a visit, it becomes an immersion into the thought and gesture of Daciano da Costa (1930–2005), whose vision helped shape the foundations of modern Portuguese design. Here, the Atelier reveals itself as a living archive—an ecosystem where creation, research, and remembrance coexist. Original pieces converse softly with contemporary re‑editions, not as echoes of nostalgia, but as renewed affirmations of a design philosophy that remains rigorous, systematic, and deeply attuned to culture. Past and present intertwine, allowing the visitor to sense the enduring clarity of the forms and structures that defined Daciano da Costa’s work.
At the heart of this encounter stand three chairs—Alvor (1967), Quadratura (1971), and Osaka (1970)—each a milestone in the unfolding story of Portuguese design and its international resonance. The inclusion of Alvor and Quadratura in the collection of the Vitra Design Museum in 2022 marked a historic moment, placing Daciano da Costa as the first Portuguese designer represented in the institution. The arrival of António Garcia’s Osaka in 2025 extends this narrative, weaving new threads between generations and geographies. The presence of Osaka gains renewed depth in the year of Expo Osaka, fifty‑five years after the Portuguese Pavilion at Expo ’70. The Atelier’s collaboration with the family of António Garcia highlights the archive as a tool of reawakening—an instrument capable of restoring context, illuminating histories, and granting institutional legitimacy to works that shaped a design lineage.
Drawings, studies, prototypes, and technical documents from Daciano da Costa’s personal archive reveal the act of drawing as a way of thinking, a method of inquiry, a discipline of clarity. His library and early works expand this constellation, situating the designer within a broader cultural and artistic fabric that nourished his practice.
The re‑editions presented to the public reaffirm the Atelier’s commitment to a critical and living preservation of the legacy. Each piece emerges from meticulous study, honoring material and conceptual fidelity while allowing these objects to inhabit the present with renewed purpose.
The launch of the reedition of the Osaka chair by António Garcia will happen during LDW26 with an event on the 27th at MUDE.
Since 2013, under the direction of Inês Cottinelli, the Atelier has embraced the mission of caring for the designer’s legacy: organizing his archive, fostering partnerships with cultural institutions, and encouraging re‑editions that extend the history of Portuguese design into the present. This work is grounded in a rigorous methodology of archival research, allowing the author’s pieces to be reinterpreted and presented with both fidelity and contemporary relevance.
In 2022, the chairs Alvor (1967) and Quadratura (1971) entered the collection of the Vitra Design Museum, making Daciano da Costa the first Portuguese designer represented in the institution and reaffirming the international resonance of his work. In 2025, in the context of Expo Osaka—fifty‑five years after the Portuguese Pavilion at Expo ’70—the Atelier collaborated with the family of António Garcia on the valorization of the Osaka Chair, whose incorporation into the Vitra collection resulted from this shared effort. Its re‑edition in 2026 extends this recognition, making the model accessible to new generations.
Between research, curatorship, and international exhibitions, the Atelier stands today as a vital agent in the continuity and renewal of Daciano da Costa’s legacy, demonstrating that tradition, innovation, and memory can coexist, intertwine, and inspire those who follow.
