Álvaro Lapa was born in Évora in 1939. His first exposure to painting came through drawing classes with António Charrua. In 1956, he moved to Lisbon, where he first enrolled in the School of Law and later in the School of Philosophy, a degree he did not complete until 1975.

In June 1961, he made his first trip abroad, to Paris, where he came into contact with painters associated with Surrealism and with American art. Throughout his career, painting and writing followed parallel paths that frequently intersected.

Art theory is part of his literary work, as are poetry and short stories of a surrealist nature. Recognition of his work was reflected in retrospective exhibitions such as those at the Serralves Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The artist died in 2006 in Porto.