New book 'Faro Modernism' spotlights southern Portugal's midcentury architecture

Photographer Richard Walker's 'Faro Modernism', published by Batsford, challenges perceptions by presenting Faro, Portugal, as a hub of modernist architecture. The city boasts over 500 modernist buildings, the highest concentration in southern Europe. Architect Manuel Gomes da Costa, inspired by Oscar Niemeyer after returning from South America in the 1950s, spearheaded the local movement. His works include Casa Gago (1955), Aeromar Hotel (late 1950s), Casa Afonso (1960), and the Parish church of Santa Luzia in Tavira (1958). The book features photographs of these and other structures, such as Rogério Palmeira's Blue House (1974) on Faro Island and Inácio Peres Fernandes's Bairro de Casas Para Pescadores (1945-49) in Olhão. Faro is now called southern Europe's 'Palm Springs' for its concentration of modernist buildings, from grand houses to apartment blocks and terraced homes.