Sarah Affonso was born on 13 May 1899 in Lisbon and died there on 14 December 1983. She studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon and was a pupil of Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro. Before continuing her studies in Paris, she had her first exhibition at the Fine Arts Society.
Sarah Affonso was also an illustrator of children’s books, including the drawings for Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen’s “The Girl from the Sea ans Other Stories”.
Her childhood was spent in Minho region, specifically in Viana do Castelo, and this influenced her work. It is reflected in folkloric aspects linked to religious and popular festivities, decorative motifs, vivid colors, and a certain naive character.
In 1934, she married the painter José de Almada Negreiros and gradually abandoned her intense and acclaimed artistic activity. In 1944, she was awarded the Souza-Cardoso Prize at the IX Salão de Arte Moderna, organized by the National Propaganda Secretariat.