Delfim Maya (1886-1978) started his artistic career in 1931, aged 45, after being imprisoned for political reasons. For fighting for his monarchical beliefs, he was arrested and dismissed from the army in 1919. He fled from prison and sought exile in Spain, where he lived until 1921, which significantly influenced his art. Despite many financial constraints, his independence allowed him the freedom to create a different art and to follow a unique path in the Portuguese art scene.
The desire for freedom is also revealed by the movement imparted into his sculptures, a striking feature of the artist’s work.
Delfim Maya was the first Portuguese sculptor to create artworks from industrial metal sheet. The process he used was also original: he drew a blueprint and folded the sculpture from a single metal piece, with no welding points. He can be included in the neo-cubist art movement.