Municipal Museum Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Porto > Amarante > Amarante > Campo da Feira

Location

The museum is situated in a central area of Amarante, forming an integral part of the town's urban landscape. It is housed in a historic building with a striking presence, close to the river. Its location on Alameda Teixeira de Pascoaes makes it an easily accessible and landmark point for visitors to Amarante.

The Historic Building

The museum is headquartered in the former Dominican Convent of São Gonçalo. This construction dates back to the late 16th century and, over the centuries, underwent various transformations that shaped its identity. Occupying this historic space gives the museum a unique ambiance, where the architecture of the past meets the art presented.

The Artistic Collection

The museum's primary focus is on Portuguese art, with a special emphasis on the modern and contemporary periods. The collection includes painting and sculpture, aiming to present a journey from naturalism to abstraction and contemporaneity. Important names in Portuguese art, such as Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, after whom the museum is named, António Carneiro, and Acácio Lino, among others, are represented.

From Origin to Collection

Founded in 1947, initially as the Municipal Library-Museum, this space aimed to gather elements of local history and honor artists and writers born in Amarante. While maintaining a remembrance of its origins, including an archaeology section, its mission evolved to predominantly focus on modern and contemporary Portuguese art.

The Requalification of the Space

In the 1980s, the convent building underwent an architectural intervention to adapt it for museological functions, a project designed by Alcino Soutinho. The work sought to reconcile the convent's historic structure with the needs of a modern museum, embracing the building's different layers and experiences over time. The recovery of spaces such as the cloisters was fundamental to this project.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt