Published
Mon, Mar 26, 2018, 16:10
- Reis, who was 71, had a towering influence on the Portuguese city's music and arts scene.
Manuel Reis, the founder of Lux Fragil, one of Portugal's most important nightclubs and creative institutions, has died.
The venue has confirmed that Reis died on Sunday, March 25th, at the age of 71, due to complications caused by cancer. He had a towering, decades-long influence over Lisbon's nightlife scene, and at one point was voted as Time Out Lisbon's "Man of the decade."
"He was a very discreet person, he preferred to stay in the background, creating situations for others," Lux Fragil's Pedro Fradique told Resident Advisor. "He has shaped generations of designers, artists, writers, actors and musicians in Lisbon. He created communities that were accepting of each other's differences. That's what he did."
Under the guidance of Reis and his team, Lux Fragil grew into one of "Europe's most beautiful clubs." The venue's story began back in 1982, when Reis opened a venue called Frágil in Lisbon's Bairro Alto neighbourhood. These days, there is a small creative hub surrounding Lux, which includes a nearby furniture shop and a restaurant.
Fradique referred to the club's moto: "A nossa vida é toda para diante," a quote from the Portuguese painter Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, which roughly translates as "All our life lays ahead." "Manuel is much more than guy who had a nightclub," Fradique said. "If he had passed away on a Saturday, we would have still opened: we would have danced and cried. The team here, we know what we have to do to keep Lux as he likes it."