Rita Andrade
Her higher education journey began in September 2016, when she enrolled in the prestigious Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon, completing her Degree in Painting in July 2020. During this period, she sought to complement her technical training by completing an Intensive Summer Course in the Fundamentals of Drawing at the Barcelona Academy of Art in Spain in July 2017. Later, Rita Andrade expanded her academic and theoretical horizons by moving to the United Kingdom, where she pursued a Master's Degree in Art and Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London (2021-2022). She graduated with the highest distinction for her final dissertation by practice, titled "How Art and Education Can Make a Change in Honduran Children's Lives: Artistic and Fieldwork Research", which was the result of extensive fieldwork research conducted on the ground in Honduras.
Despite her young career, the artist has already secured high-profile commissions and established a strong public presence:
Royal Portraits (2018): She was commissioned to paint the portraits of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Portrait of Henrique Medina Carreira (2017): Commissioned by "Fórum da Competitividade", this artwork was officially delivered by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, during a tribute held at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.
"Best Artist of the Year" Award (2025): In December 2025, she was distinguished with the Best Artist of the Year award by the New in Town (NiT) Awards.
International Guest Speaker (2024): She was invited to speak at Okayama University in Japan for the panel "Solving the Planetary Society Issue - Learning Career Paths from the World's Next-Generation Leaders".
