Where to see amazing street art in Lisbon

Jenny Cahill-Jones

written by
Jenny Cahill-Jones

updated 10.10.2021

Street art in Lisbon is flourishing. For over a decade the city's supported urban artists. And now even local government embraces the medium.

Lisbon's now like an open-air gallery. Half the fun's trying to find new works. So here's our guide to street art in Lisbon. What to see and what to track down. The information in this article is taken from The Rough Guide to Portugal, your essential guide for visiting Portugal.

Artur Bordalo or Bordalo II

Bordalo II is Lisbon born and raised.

Bordalo repurposes trash into his multi-textured artworks. And often depicts scavengers like foxes and racoons.

You'll see these “trash animals” all round Lisbon.

Check out Big Racoon on the Centro Cultural in Belém. Look for Giant Fox on Avenida 24 Julio in Santos. Or find Trash Puppy watching traffic in Cabo Ruivo.

Want to know where else to look? Take a kickstart street art tour of Lisbon.

Pedro Ribeiro Simoes-Bordallo Big Racoon-crop

Bordalo II's Big Raccoon a striking example of street art in Lisbon © Pedro Ribeiro Simoes via Flickr/Creative Commons

Pedro Campiche AKA Corleone

Pedro Campiche or AKA Corleone is another Lisbon local. The city loves his multi-coloured murals. And he works with communities to create public art.

See his Fernando Pessoa-inspired mural in Graça. It's part of an apartment building. And the building's residents collaborated on it.

Tom Davis who lives in the building explains.

“Our building is visible all over the city. So it's an ideal space for public art. Some kids had already tagged the wall. And damaged cars in the process. So when the building was up for renovation, we approached a few Lisbon street artists. AKA Corleone stood out. He lived locally. Plus he'd always wanted to paint this wall. So, together with Vhils’ Underdogs Gallery, a mural was born.'

The Fernando Pessoa mural's visible from several Miradouros. It's on Rua Damasceno Monteiro. AKA Corleone’s work is also in Rua Sao Bento and Rua 1 Maio.

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AKA Corleone's Fernando Pessoa mural in Graça © Tom Davis

Shepard Fairey, the US giant's take on street art in Lisbon

Shepard Fairey is a legendary US street artist. He instigated OBEY creative dissent project in 1989. And also created Obama “Hope”. The iconic image from 2008's presidential campaign.

Fairey was one of the first artists to take graffiti mainstream. And his arrival in the city in 2017 gave street art in Lisbon a global platform.

Head to Rua Natalia Correia in Graça to see Fairey’s female revolutionary mural. The flower in her gun references Lisbon’s Carnation Revolution.

There's another Fairey work on Rua da Senhora de Gloria. This is a collaboration with Lisbon artist Vhils. It shows a subdivided female face. One side is created by Fairey. The other by Vhils.

Want to get closer to Lisbon's street art. Think about Cozy Lisbon Graça for your city stay.

Obey-crop

Shepard Fairey's Revolutionary Woman in Graça © Jenny Cahill-Jones

Vhils real name Alexandre Farto

Lisbon's best know street artist is probably Vhils.

He hit the world stage as part of the Banksy’s Cans show, London, 2008.

Unusually, Vhils works without paint. Instead he chips wall surfaces to create images in relief.

City development has destroyed some of Vhils' work. Notably the old man's face overlooking Avenida da India near LX factory. But you can still see his 'faces' in Alfama and on Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian.

Keep company with Vhils famous faces. Stay at Alfama Terrace in Lisbon's oldest district.

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Vhils' eerie face gazes out from Avenida Calouse Gulkenkian © R2Hox/Flickr via Creative Commons

Jenny Cahill-Jones

written by
Jenny Cahill-Jones

updated 10.10.2021

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