Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Lisboa 1993

Eduardo Nery designed this colorful ceiling for the Caixa Geral de Depósitos in Lisbon. We might consider what it means for a state-owned bank to invest in such an elaborate and playful design. The concentric circles pull our eyes upward, mimicking the classical oculus of the Pantheon in Rome. Yet Nery traded the weightiness of Imperial Rome for something more in line with the mid-century modernism. This was a period of rapid change in Portugal, and while the Estado Novo regime held fast to conservative social policies, it sought to foster economic growth through investment and industry. We might see this ceiling as an expression of the bank's institutional values. The Caixa Geral de Depósitos offered ordinary Portuguese citizens access to financial services, and Nery's design creates an atmosphere that is both grand and accessible. To understand it better, look to the archives of the Caixa Geral de Depósitos. What did the institution hope to communicate to the public through its architecture and design?