Biographical/Historical Note

Francisco de Paula Valença (Calino) (1882-1962), was born in Lisbon and is best known for his caricature drawings and his work as a publisher and draftsman. He is considered the most important Portuguese caricaturist of his time. He attended courses at the Sociedade Nacional de Bellas Artes in Lisbon in 1902 to 1903 and subsequently he worked at the studio of José Malôha. Valença founded several popular satirical newspapers including O Chinelo, Varões Assinalados (which was published during the revolutionary atmosphere of the New Republic in 1909), Salão Cómico and O Moscardo. Valença frequently collaborated with Carlos Simões, André Brun and other popular humor writers from the same period.

Valença's caricatures were regularly published in Portuguese journals, reviews and newspapers, especially those he helped to found, but his work was also published and appreciated internationally, such as in Rire and Boletin Fermé. Valença also had a large oeuvre of work published in books including the Catálogos Cómicos (1914-1919 and 1923-1924) at the annual exhibition of the Society of Fine Arts in Lisbon and many others.

In 1912 he assimilated with Pró Patria - Grupo de Propaganda e de Educação Civica and also became a member of the Sociedade de Humoristas Portugueses, a group of political and anticlerical artists. Valença's most fruitful period of productivity was from 1926 to 1958 and is well represented by his collaboration with Sempre Fixe and his drafts for the Museu Etnológico Dr. Leite Vasconcelos.