Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos
Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos (1892–1985) was a Brazilian salt worker and son of a former slave who rose to prominence as a self-taught architect and outsider artist. He began building the House of the Flower in 1923, which was described as an “intuitive baroque” or Art Brut style of building. To build and ornament the house, dos Santos gathered scraps and bits of trash— ceramic, china, tile fragments, broken lamps, knick-knacks, shells, chains, fenders, headlights, splintered windows, smashed bottles, broken dishes, bits of old iron, chair legs, wheels, and metal lids - from nearby Cabo Frío.
Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos
- Born
- 1892 · São Pedro da Aldeia.
- Died
- 1985
- Nationality
- Brazil
- Occupation
- architect
- Languages
- Portuguese
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos (1892–1985) was a Brazilian salt worker and son of a former slave who rose to prominence as a self-taught architect and outsider artist. He began building the House of the Flower in 1923, which was described as an “intuitive baroque” or Art Brut style of building. To build and ornament the house, dos Santos gathered scraps and bits of trash— ceramic, china, tile fragments, broken lamps, knick-knacks, shells, chains, fenders, headlights, splintered windows, smashed bottles, broken dishes, bits of old iron, chair legs, wheels, and metal lids - from nearby Cabo Frío.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q10287866 · wikipedia · Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos
In this article
Biography
Biography
Born at São Pedro da Aldeia in 1892, died in 1985.
The recorded working language is Portuguese.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1892
Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos born at São Pedro da Aldeia.
1985
Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos died on 3 March 1985.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q10287866: Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Design
11,558 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Gabriel EpsteinDesigner
- Gabriel GruberDesigner
- Gabriel GuardaDesigner
- Gabriel GuevrekianDesigner
- Gabriel KiellandDesigner
- Gabriel LenkiewiczDesigner
- Gabriel ManigaultDesigner
- Gabriel von BonsdorffDesigner
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.