Alberto de Castro

Alberto de Castro was born in Angola in 1952, of Portuguese descent. His formative years were spent painting and traveling Spain, before emigrating to Montreal in 1969.

After mounting several one man shows, Alberto won the commission to paint a mural for the Portuguese Pavilion at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Alberto moved to Toronto in 1980. He died of AIDS related cause in 1995 at age 42.

Alberto once stated that Canada was to him as Tahiti was to Paul Gauguin. Examples of his work can be found in the Ontario Legislature, Our Lady of Lourdes Church and the Portuguese Consulate in Toronto.

“I used to dream of snow as a child in Angola,” he said before his death at age 42. “I had only seen it in the movies but I longed to see its whiteness, its purity, for myself.” – Alberto de Castro / CanadianArtJunkie.com

Alberto de Castro’s painting – Christmas Dinner – captures the extended family excitement that many Canadians experience. Photo Source: CanadianArtJunkie.com