Alfredo Roque Gameiro was a Portuguese painter and graphic artist who specialized in watercolors.
Education
He studied at the "Faculty of Fine Arts" of the University of Lisbon, where José Simões de Almeida was one of his professors. After receiving a scholarship from the Portuguese government, he attended the "Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst" in Leipzig and studied lithography with Ludwig Nieper (1826-1906).
Career
Upon returning to Portugal in 1886, he became the Director of the "Companhia Nacional Editora" and, in 1894, was appointed a Professor at the "Escola Industrial do Príncipe Real". He was a frequent contributor to several weekly and monthly periodicals and worked with Manuel de Macedo (1839-1915) to provide illustrations for a deluxe edition of The Lusiads, published in 1900. From 1910 to 1920 he created 10 watercolors and 90 lithographs for what would be his most popular work, Lisboa Velha (Old Lisbon), with an introduction by the poet Afonso Lopes Vieira.
He also illustrated several popular novels by Júlio Dinis.
In 1919, he became the first Director of the "Escola Secundária Artística António Arroio", a position he held until 1930. Three institutions bear his name: the "Escola Roque Gameiro" in Amadora (where he lived for many years), the "Casa Roque Gameiro" (his home, partly designed by Raul Lino.
Now an exhibition space) and the "Centro de Artes e Ofícios Roque Gameiro" in his hometown, which includes a museum devoted to watercolors. Some of his designs appear on Portuguese postage stamps.
Raquel Roque Gameiro Ottolini (1889-1970), also a watercolorist,
Manuel Roque Gameiro (1890-1944), who worked with diverse materials.
Helena Roque Gameiro (1895-1986), a landscape painter who married the film director José Leitão de Barros,
Maria Emília (Màmia) Roque Gameiro (1901-1996), oil and watercolor painter. Married to painter Jaime Martins Barata
Ruy Roque Gameiro (1907-1935), a sculptor who, despite his short life, is the best-known. His sculptures may be seen in Portugal and Mozambique.
Membership
He was elected a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in 1923.