“I claim for architects the rights and liberties that painters and poets have held for so long.” – Pancho Guedes

Amancio Guedes was born in Lisbon Portugal and was only seven years old when his family relocated to Mozambique. He was educated in Lorenço Marques (now Maputo) and later graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1950. He quickly established a practice and worked with a tireless enthusiasm for the next twenty five years, changing the architectural landscape of Mozambique. His work was a sudden shift in the Modern and Late-Modern tradition that many professionals had become comfortable with. He challenged the status quo not only in the sense of an architect as independent artist, but also in the sense that his work did not fit the rationalist functionalist bill. Forced to depart Mozambique in 1974 due to the political turmoil, he was cast adrift, but his legendary reputation earned him an invitation for the vacant Chair of Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Working at a university gave him numerous opportunities to travel, lecture and exhibit his work. He toured widely, all the while accumulating a vast array of artistic and architectural inspiration. He was a visiting professor at the University of California in Los Angeles in 1981, served on several AA (London) juries and attended the first Team 10 meeting.