Volte Face –
Medalha Contemporânea is a Portuguese contemporary
medallic sculpture group formed in 1997-1998, which
is comprised of professors and students from medallic
arts study program at the Faculdade de Belas Artes
da Universidade de Lisboa.
Accomplished medalist
and professor, João Duarte (b. 1952). is
the founder and Director
of the group Volte Face. Other founding members
are Assistant Professor Rui Vasquez and students
Amilcar Soares, Maria João Ferreira, Patrícia
Bilé, José Viriato Bernardo, Jorge
Batista, Patrício Oliveira, Nuno Carvalho,
Davina de Brito, and Olga Neves.
The mission of the
Volte Face is to distinguish contemporary medallic
sculpture from the traditional numismatic format
of medal art, as the conventional obverse/reverse
becomes more three- dimensional. After mastering
traditional medallic art techniques, and respecting
the medium, contemporary medalists can freely create
a new vision and expression.
In 2001, Volte Face
– Medalha Contemporânea became an officially
recognized organization at the Faculdade de Belas
Artes da Universidade de Lisboa.
