Fundação Serralves Porto

Fundação Serralves & Museu de Arte Contemporânea

The Fundação Serralves comprises a Museum of Contemporary Art (Museu de Arte Contemporânea), the art deco villa Casa de Serralves and a large area of parkland and formal gardens scattered with striking modern art installations and sculptures.

The Fundação Serralves opened in 1999 and has become Portugal's most visited museum and a must-see for art fans on any trip to Porto.

Located about 4 km west of the old city centre, the museum and its beautiful gardens need a half-day to fully appreciate their beauty.

Fundacao Serralves, Portugal. — Claes Oldenburg, Plantoir, Fundação Serralves, Porto

The minimalist main museum was designed by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, born just outside Porto in Matosinhos. The building is remarkable for its white facades and terraces and includes 14 gallery spaces, a cafe/restaurant, shop and library on three floors. The changing exhibitions on display are mainly of modern art produced after 1968 and have included exhibitions by Roni Horn, Claes Oldenburg, Franz West, Marwan and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian.

The pink, art-deco Villa (Casa de Serralves) dates back to the 1920's and was the summer home of the Cabral family, who used to own and greatly developed the Serralves estate. The Villa was the work of José Marques da Silva, the architect of Sao Bento Station in Porto. Now other temporary exhibitions are held in the Villa.

The Portuguese government acquired the site in 1986 and opened the grounds to the public in 1987.

The 18-hectare park includes an arboretum, a lake, a rose garden, meadows, a vegetable garden, a herb garden, woods, a tea house, a farm with cows and donkeys and a tennis court! Sculptures in the park include works by such artists as Richard Serra, Claes Oldenburg, Maria Nordman, Dan Graham, Angelo de Sousa and Velt Stratmann.

An arts and music festival Serralves em Festa is held in the park during the last weekend in May.