Jacqueline de Montaigne is a Portuguese fine art painter and muralist whose practice examines the human–nature relationship as an interconnected ecological system, with particular attention to mental health, wellbeing, and social narratives. Her work situates figurative representation within environmental and psychological frameworks, positioning art as both research methodology and reflective practice.

​

De Montaigne is recognised for integrating classical gilding techniques into contemporary fine art and large-scale public murals—an approach that remains rare within urban art contexts. Her work operates across institutional, public, and gallery settings, bridging fine art with a socially engaged practice.

​

A self-taught artist with an academic background in medical ethics, health sciences, and psychology, de Montaigne previously served as Director of a Human Rights NGO before transitioning fully to her art practice in 2018. Since then, she has established an international professional profile, participating in prominent artist residencies and biennales across Europe and Africa. She has produced over 120 large-scale public murals, with works held in both public and private international collections. Her solo exhibitions have consistently sold out since 2019, and in 2023 she was ranked #35 among the world’s top 100 muralists—the first Portuguese woman to achieve this distinction.

​

Her practice is grounded in site-responsive research and a symbolic visual language that draws on local cultural histories, social contexts, and environmental conditions. Botanical and zoological elements are selected for their contextual and metaphorical significance, with Floriography interwoven to create layered narrative structures within each work.

​

While watercolour has been her primary medium since childhood, de Montaigne extends its aesthetic principles—transparency, luminosity, and fluidity—across archival paper, canvas, and architectural surfaces, including works exceeding 400 square metres. She incorporates precious metals to modulate light and meaning, and prioritises water-based materials as part of a more sustainable production methodology.

​

De Montaigne lives and works between Cascais, Portugal, and Príncipe Island in the Gulf of Guinea, where she maintains an active studio and research-based practice.

​

​

​​​

​​​​

​​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​