Paulo de Cantos: Ver e Ler Exhibition at MUDE

The exhibition "Ver e Ler" at MUDE – Museu do Design in Lisbon showcases the self-published work of Paulo de Cantos (1892-1979), a multifaceted figure who worked as a pedagogue, artist, editor, and collector. His legacy includes graphically striking objects that blur the lines between visual creation and knowledge transmission, challenging traditional design historiography.

Visitors can explore five thematic sections featuring school manuals, primers, essays, game-books, and illustrated postcards. Highlights include his self-named "livros birostos" — manuals with inversely opposing covers that subvert conventional reading order. The exhibition also critically examines works from the Estado Novo period that reflect colonialist, racist, or sexist themes, focusing on their graphic design as a literacy tool where geometry and visual composition aimed to make learning geography, history, literature, and science a playful discovery.

Guided tours are offered on select Sundays, led by art historians, researchers, and design critics, providing deeper insight into Cantos' innovative approach. The museum's commitment to research and dissemination of practices that intersect art, pedagogy, and critical thinking through design is reaffirmed in this comprehensive retrospective.