Category: Civil Architecture > Museum
District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Lisboa > Chiado
The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Chiado Museum is located in a highly dynamic area in Lisbon's historic center, the Chiado district. This is a place with a strong cultural identity, known for its theaters, bookstores, and historic cafés, as well as the National Academy of Fine Arts, its close neighbor. Being situated here places the museum at a central point of the city's artistic and intellectual life, facilitating access for those exploring this vibrant area of Lisbon.
The museum's history dates back to 1911, the year of its foundation, which resulted from the separation of the former National Museum of Fine Arts. Artworks created from 1850 onwards found their new home in this space. The museum is housed in part of the old Convent of São Francisco da Cidade, a building bearing marks of its long history, including the effects of the 1755 earthquake. After a fire that affected the Chiado area in 1988, the museum underwent extensive renovation and expansion, under a project by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, reopening in 1994 with modernized facilities.
The heart of the museum is its vast collection of Portuguese art, covering a fundamental period from the second half of the 19th century to the present day. This collection features a diversity of artistic expressions, including painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, video, and installation. It serves as a significant panorama of the artistic evolution in the country, highlighting the main movements and artists that marked these approximately 170 years of art history in Portugal.
The museum proposes exhibition routes that allow for an organized exploration of its collection. The permanent exhibition offers a journey through Portuguese art from 19th-century Romanticism and Naturalism, through early 20th-century avant-gardes like Modernism, to conceptual art and other trends that developed until 1975. More recent works, created from 1975 onwards and integrating contemporary production, are presented in temporary exhibitions that explore different themes and approaches, maintaining the connection with the collection and ongoing research.
In addition to the exhibition galleries, the museum integrates other spaces that enrich the visit. One of these is the Portuguese Sculpture Garden, an outdoor area that provides a different contact with some pieces from the collection, set in a more tranquil environment. There is also a cafeteria, a place for a break during the visit, and a shop offering items related to the collections and art.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 38.7083293,-9.1410103
Coordinates DMS: 38°42'30.0"N 09°08'27.6"W