Museu do Oriente (Orient Museum)
The superb Museu de Oriente (Orient Museum), housed in a converted warehouse, is located in Alcantara on the way to the historic district of Belem and the major attractions of Belem Tower and the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos.
History
The Museu do Oriente was established by the Fundação Oriente (Oriental Foundation) in 1988 to foster ties between Portugal and the nations touched by Portuguese expansion and exploration in Asia, typically Macau, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Sri Lanka and India. The Fundação Oriente was primarily funded by gambling revenue from Macau until the 1990's.
The Museu de Oriente sets out the Portuguese presence in East Asia with an excellent collection of Asian art and artifacts including Namban (southern barbarian) art from Japan (exaggerated depictions of foreigners by Japanese artists), porcelain from China, furniture from Goa, India and folding screens from both China and Japan. Other exhibits include textiles, paintings, religious icons and oratories, masks, weapons, suits of samurai armor, a large collection of exquisite Japanese inro and netsuke plus old sea charts and documents.
Exhibits
The collection is mainly drawn from China, India, Japan, Macau, Myanmar and Timor.
The second floor is given over to the "Gods of Asia" exhibition of the Kwok On Collection. There are over 13,000 pieces displaying mainly performance arts of Asia: costumes, games, masks, paintings, puppets, and religious statues and icons. The exhibits were collected from India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Turkey and Cambodia.
The museum also stages regular performances of Asian performance art including music, dance and theater in its 355-seat auditorium.
Other galleries on the ground floor stage temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, architecture and photography with an Asian theme. Recent exhibitions include the modern architecture of Japan, the paintings and drawings of Sofia Areal and the work of Natalia Gromicho.
The museum also has six differently sized rooms for small conferences and meetings. The museum has both a restaurant and a cafeteria specializing in Asian-style meals and snacks and a museum shop.
Access - Getting There
Museu do Oriente (museudooriente.pt)
Avenida Brasilia
Doca de Alcantara Norte
1350-362 Lisboa
Tel: 21 3585 200
Buses: #28, #713, #714, #720, #727, #732 or #738. Tram: #15 from Cais do Sodre, #18; Train: Alcantara Station, Linha de Cascais.
Hours: 10 am - 6 pm; 10 am-10 pm Friday (free admission 6 pm-10 pm; Closed Tuesday
Admission: 4 Euros; 20% reduction with Lisboa Card, free entry 6 pm-10 pm Fridays.
