The Berardo Collection Museum is one of the most visited museums in Lisbon. This modern art museum consists of more important collection of modern art from the 20th century to the present day. Just some of the prominent names of the artists whose works you will find in it are Warhol, Picasso, Dalí, Duchamp, Magritte, Miro, Bacon, Jackson Pollock, etc.
Portuguese collector Joe Berardo has always wanted to open his own museum for his collection, which he has been collecting for years, with about 4.000 works of art
Although big cities, such as Paris and Miami, wanted to buy the collection from Berardo, in the end the collection remained in Lisbon thanks to the Portuguese government, which made sure that the treasure remained in the country. The purchase of the collection was slow and the process itself took about 10 years, until Jose Berardo signed an agreement with the Portuguese government.
The works remained the property of the Berardo Collection Association, and the space inside the Lisbon cultural center Belem was intended for the Berardo collection, and it is still there today. The museum was launched in 2006 as the Foundation for Modern and Contemporary Art, but in 2007, when the museum was officially opened to the public, it was renamed the Berardo Collection Museum. Over 1000 works of art are exhibited in the museum, and the collection consists of paintings, photographs, sculptures and installations.
The collections are exhibited hornologically, so they guide you through the time of creation. On the second floor, there is a permanent exhibition from the first half of the 20th century, where artistic trends such as Cubism, Dadaism or Surrealism and post-war art trends such as Informalism and Abstract Expressionism are represented. On the first floor there is an exhibition area that takes you from the second half of the XX century until today, where the artistic movements of the neo-avant-garde, minimalism, conceptualism, land art or Arte Povera predominate.
The exhibited works in the museum are worth 316 million euros. The agreement that was made with the Berardo Collection Association was renewed in 2017, and then the possibility was made that the Portuguese government could still buy works from the collection until the end of the agreement, i.e. until 2022. In addition to the permanent exhibition of the Berado collection, the museum often hosts temporary exhibitions, works by artists from various cultural backgrounds who have built the art history of the last century through various artistic expressions.
A walk through the museum will make you fully experience modern art and maybe this will become your favorite museum in Lisbon. Apart from being an architecturally amazing place, each exhibition is done in a different way in line with the world of contemporary art.
Regular ticket price for the museum: 5 €
Free entrance: on Saturday
Reduced ticket price: 2.5 € - young people from 7 to 18 years, students, pensioners, disabled people with companions.
Free entrance for children up to 6 years.
Audio guide: € 3.5
Museum working hours
Open every day from 10 am to 7 pm (last entrance at 6:30 pm)
Author of the text:
Maja Glavaš, Bachelor with Honours in Communicology. Works in Tourism.
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
