Museums & Attractions

New museum to honors painter Paula Rego will open in September

Wednesday, 26 August 2009 19:40

The new Casa das Historias Paula Rego Museum will open on September 18, 2009 in Cascais dedicated to the work of the Portuguese painter Paula Rego and designed by architect Eduardo Souto Moura. The museum, is located in the historical center of Cascais village, and features more than 100 of Rego’s paintings and sketches. Rego, considered part of the “London Group” of artists which also includes David Hockney and R.B. Kitaj, has an illustrative and figurative style in magical realism, influenced by fairy tales and Beatrix Potter books. Her fairy tale imagery often has a sinister edge.

Museum of Evora Reopens

Thursday, 23 July 2009 19:19

The Museum of Evora in the Alentejo reopened at the end of July, 2009. Set in the historic bishop’s palace, the Museum opened in 1915 and today offers exhibits, important works of art and archaeology, namely sculpture and paintings, relative to the golden age of the Portuguese Exploration. Among the works are the allegorical stone sculpture of the era, the coat of arms of Portugal and Évora and the marble grave of D. Duarte da Costa, governor of Braz.

Neo-Realism Museum in Vila Franca de Xira

Saturday, 23 May 2009 18:29

The Museum of Neo-Realism, in the city of Vila Franca de Xira, is designed to promote research and to bring the neo-realist themes in culture and art to the public’s attention.  The museum opened in October 2007 and  preserves decades of artifacts, from literature to music, film and theater, in the neo-realist theme. The museum was designed by architect Alcino Soutinho and features exhibit areas for short and long-term displays, plus an auditorium for film, public readings, meetings and conferences. Guided tours and educational workshops will be offered.

Coimbra’s Ruined Historic Convent Reopens as a museum

Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:54

The ruined Convent of Santa Clara-a-Velha on the Mondego River in central Portugal has reopened to the pubic after 12 years of restoration.  Santa Clara was founded in the 1280s and Queen Isabel, whose good works led to her canonization in 1626, lived in the convent. Because of its location close to the river, the church was repeatedly flooded. By 1647 King D. Joao IV ordered the nuns to a new convent named Santa Clara-a-Nove high on a hill. The Gothic church was abandoned and as the centuries passed, it sunk into the river mud and became a charming ruin. In 1995, the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico launched an effort to save the monument. A protective barrier between the church and the river was built, years of mud was removed and the foundation of the church was reveled for the first time in centuries. The excavations unearthed a large number of architectural artifacts, many of which are on display in the church’s new visitor center. http://www.turismo-centro.pt/