Julião Sarmento (1948–2021) was a seminal figure in European Post-War and Contemporary art, whose multidisciplinary practice spanned painting, drawing, sculpture, film, photography, installation, and performance. Born in Lisbon, where he studied painting and architecture at the School of Fine Arts, his work is characterized by its exploration of themes like desire, memory, fragmentation, and the interplay between presence and absence. Sarmento’s compositions often feature partial figures, architectural elements, and textual fragments, creating a complex visual language that invites viewers into a space of ambiguity and introspection. His practice was deeply influenced by literature and cinema, often incorporating references to writers like Marguerite Duras and James Joyce.

Sarmento represented Portugal at the 46th Venice Biennale in 1997, and also participated in the editions of 1980 and 2001. His work was included in Documenta 7 and 8, and in the 2002 São Paulo Biennale. His work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at major institutions including the Tate Modern in London, which featured an Artist Room dedicated to his work in 2010, the Museu Serralves in Porto, which organized the comprehensive retrospective “White Nights” in 2012, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.