José Vieira

José Vieira is quite remarkable when it comes to shaping galvanised tin, copper and brass. In his 50s, he runs his inherited tinsmithing workshop near the charming city of Guimarães. “I learned the craft by intensely observing my grandfather and father,” he says. At the time, there were other tinsmiths making rural objects like watering cans and funnels, but the Vieira family pieces were known for their quality, each distinguished with the letter V. Today, José is one of the few tinsmiths left in Portugal. In 2019, German designer Christian Haas asked him to make a set of side tables by folding and overlapping thin sheets of brass. The Pleat collection successfully shifted tinsmithing into a new context and was part of the Doppia Firma 2019 selection shown in Milan and Paris.

José Vieira’s specialisation is undoubtedly his masterful welding work, a process in which various metal elements are joined to create the final built form. From the foundation of a design, the making of abstract pieces is something that fascinates him, especially the possibility of creating freely and adding details, until he gets something that surprises him.

José Vieira's life story has always been linked to art, and he considers it part of his DNA. He grew up surrounded by tin objects, made in the traditional regional style, observing and learning metalworking techniques from his father and grandfather. He places great importance on this inheritance and feels it is his responsibility to continue the path traced by such illustrious artisans. Using moulds dating from the very start of the workshop as well as somewhat rudimentary tools, José gives his works their desired shapes. He does so by taking the use and practical sense of the object into consideration, along with its aesthetic, imbuing his works with a poetic nature.

Pattern of Crafts Exhibition