JACQUELINE DE MONTAIGNE is a Portuguese fine art painter and muralist, known for her striking, nature-infused figurative works that bridge classical technique and contemporary context. Her signature use of traditional gilding methods—rarely seen in street art—has distinguished her as a unique voice within both the international gallery circuit and the global urban art scene.

​

A self-taught artist with a background in medical ethics, health sciences, and psychology, De Montaigne spent years working as a Human Rights NGO director before fully committing to her art practice in 2018. In just a few years, she has built a compelling international presence, participating in major artist residencies and biennales, with her work held in both public and private collections around the world. She has completed over 120 large-scale public murals to date, and her solo exhibitions have consistently sold out since 2019.

​

In January 2023, De Montaigne's mural The Language of Flowers, located in Lisbon's Largo Hintze Ribeiro, was ranked #35 in the Street Art Cities Top 100 murals worldwide—making her the first Portuguese woman to be featured in this global ranking.

​

Her practice is deeply rooted in storytelling through symbolism, drawing from the cultural heritage of the communities where she works and engaging with local social and environmental issues. Nature plays a central role in her compositions, where flora and fauna are carefully chosen for their site-specific significance, often woven together through the lens of floriography—the Victorian "language of flowers."

Although watercolour has been her preferred medium since childhood—originally wanting to become a scientific illustrator—De Montaigne adapts its fluid aesthetic across diverse surfaces. Whether working on archival paper, large-scale canvases, or 400-square-meter concrete walls, she evokes the delicacy and luminosity of watercolours while incorporating precious metals to illuminate her subjects.

Her technique also supports a more sustainable practice, as the water-based materials reduce environmental impact.

​

De Montaigne currently lives and works between Cascais, Portugal, and Príncipe Island in the Gulf of Guinea, where she maintains a full-time studio practice.

​

​

​​​

​​​​

​​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​