Museu de Arte Popular
Museum in Belém, housed in the pavilion of the 1940 Exhibition of the Portuguese World, with murals by modernist artists; closed for refurbishment works.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museu de Arte Popular opened in 1948 and arose from the reworking of the former pavilion of the Popular Life Section (Secção da Vida Popular) of the 1940 Exhibition of the Portuguese World, designed by the architects António Reis Camelo and João Simões. The building was adapted into a museum by the architect Jorge Segurado, based on a programme defined by the ethnographer Francisco Martins Lage and the artist Tomás de Mello, and it combines modernist decorative elements with others of traditional aesthetics.
An extensive team of decorator-painters, including Carlos Botelho, Eduardo Anahory, Estrela Faria, Manuel Lapa and Paulo Ferreira, created a significant set of mural compositions that characterise the various regions of the country. This heritage value led to the building being classified as a Property of Public Interest in 2012.
The collection brings together ceramics, folk goldsmith work, musical instruments, basketwork, textiles, costumes and embroidery, agricultural implements, and miniatures of boats and animal-drawn carts. The permanent exhibition was closed in 2000 for refurbishment works on the building and, in 2006, the collection was transferred to the Museu Nacional de Etnologia. Since 2016 the museum's activity has been limited to temporary exhibitions and is linked to the mission and programme of the Museu Nacional de Etnologia.
Highlights
- Building of the pavilion of the 1940 Exhibition of the Portuguese World
- Mural compositions by modernist artists on the regions of the country
- Property of Public Interest since 2012
- Founded
- 1948
- Operated by
- Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, E.P.E.
- Director
- Gonçalo de Carvalho Amaro
- Visitors per year
- approx. 8,181
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|
Free admission: Residents of Portugal: free access to the museums and monuments of Museus e Monumentos de Portugal up to 52 days a year, upon presentation of the Cartão de Cidadão at the ticket office.
Standard ticket indicated by Museus e Monumentos de Portugal: €5 (museum currently closed). 50% discounts for over-65s, young people aged 13 to 24 and families; free admission up to age 12.
Accessibility
The museum is temporarily closed for refurbishment works.
Kids & families
The museum is temporarily closed for refurbishment works.
Getting there & parking
The museum is temporarily closed for refurbishment works.
Amenities & dining
The museum is temporarily closed for refurbishment works.
Events & venue rental
The museum is temporarily closed for refurbishment works.
