The Gaudium Magnum High School Scholarship Programme at Brotéria

On 25 February, at Brotéria in Lisbon, the new edition of the Gaudium Magnum High School Scholarship Programme began with a presentation dedicated to the Virgin of Humility by Álvaro Pirez de Évora, a painting from the Gaudium Magnum Collection.

The session was led by Professor Giulia Rossi Vairo (NOVA FCSH), whose research focuses on the artistic and cultural relations between Italy and Portugal, as well as on the historiography of art. Addressed to 11th-grade students from the Foundation’s partner schools, the presentation marked the first stage of the Scholarship programme. The lecture adopted a didactic and dynamic format, introducing students to the historical and artistic context of the work while providing them with the tools to approach and interpret the painting directly. The students responded with notable curiosity, engaging actively with the work and proposing their own observations. 

Through this initiative, students are invited not only to analyse a work from the Collection, but also to reflect on its relevance for the present time and to articulate personal objectives that will guide them through their secondary education. The programme combines financial support with intellectual engagement, encouraging participants to approach Old Masters not as distant historical artefacts, but as works capable of generating contemporary reflection.

The collaboration with Brotéria formed an important part of this approach. As a cultural space dedicated to dialogue between art, thought, and contemporary life, it provides an environment in which students can encounter works of art through academic expertise while engaging them within a broader cultural context.