Portugal’s celebrated contemporary art oasis
The Serralves Foundation in Porto, Portugal, housed in a landmark art deco mansion, aims to raise awareness about contemporary art, architecture, cinema, the landscape and environment, and other critical issues facing society. It oversees Serralves Villa, Park, Museum of Contemporary Art, House of Cinema, Auditorium and Library. The museum, a harmonious construction of concrete, steel, granite and painted plaster by the eminent architect Álvaro Joaquim Melo Siza Vieira, hosts monographic and thematic exhibitions of established and emerging artists from Portugal and abroad. It also displays works from the Serralves Foundation Collection, which holds more than 4,300 works of art produced from the 1960s to the present day, 1,700 of which belong to Serralves and around 2,600 that are on long-term loan from private and public collections. Notable artists include Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Claes Oldenburg, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, Cindy Sherman, Steve McQueen and Joan Miró. In addition, a standout collection of around 5,000 artists’ books and editions can be viewed with a reservation. A stunning 18-hectare park designed by Jacques Greber in the 1930s, featuring formal gardens, woodlands and traditional farm, plus 200 species of trees and shrubs, hosts an impressive collection of sculptures on permanent display.
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