Museu Fundação de Serralves

The Fundação Serralves is a true oasis in the middle of the city: a wonderful park at any time of year, where you feel like walking; a pink house that is an example of mid 20th century architecture, a shop and museum space with a rich collection of contemporary art and an amphitheatre where performances are held. There you can find calm, peace and art in a magnificent space, where you feel like being.

The Foundation was created in 1989 and is located in the Parque Serralves (Serralves Park), which spans over 18 hectares. The House and the Park were spaces that used to be private. Thus, it was needed to construct the building hosting the Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves (Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art). The project was commissioned to one of the most awarded and spectacular Portuguese architects: Siza Vieira. The building, which opened in 1999, is surrounded by the park. Light plays a fundamental role in it. The trees, visible through large windows, are part of the exhibits and constitute, themselves, natural works of art. Everything in this space is a treat for a sensitive and attentive look. For its functionality and beauty, as well as for the richness of the collection and the temporary exhibitions it offers, it has been considered a reference in international terms in the fields of museology and contemporary art. This space also has two shops, a restaurant with a pleasant terrace and esplanade, a bar and a specialized library, whose collection began to be gathered in the Documentation and Research Centre, created in 1987. The Fundação Serralves also has a publishing programme with several publications.

The Casa de Serralves (Serralves House) was completed in 1940. It is authored by the architect Marques da Silva. It is a unique example of Art Deco. It has been considered a property of public interest since 1996. The project for the garden of the house, dates from 1932, and it is authored by Jacques Gréber, a famous French landscape architect. Now, after about a century of being redesigned, the park includes traces of a 19th century garden, the Mata-Sete Farm and the garden of the Casa de Serralves.

Quite often, even being a tourist, it is worthwhile to become Amigo Serralves (Serralves Friend) and to be able to visit the different available spaces and exhibitions, for free, as many times as you wish. Inquire about it!