Lisbon, Portugal. At the end of the western part of Europe, surprising to find a textbook-like place in the Museum of Contemporary Art.
“Berardo Collection Museum” is the modern art museum in Lisbon Portugal. Portugal is in the west end in Europe and all Portuguese who I know are very humble. Therefore, I did not expect something new, something different, however, this museum was more than my expectation.
The location is in the center of Lisbon. It is near the “Monument of Discoveries” and “Belem Tower” by the sea. This museum is a stone building located just inside the sea. It does not look like an art museum. I walked around the “Monument of the Discoveries” and “Belem Tower” before heading to this “Berardo Collection Museum”. However it was difficult to find a museum entrance.
The building is large with 3 floors, and there are artworks in a vast space. There are a wide range of artworks from “Andy Warhol” to “On Kawara”, specializing in modern and contemporary artworks. Object-based artworks were more prominent than painting. Artworks for famous artists include such as “Miro”, “Dali”, and “Picasso”.
This must be the best museum for people who are not familiar with modern and contemporary artworks to have the modern art introduction. In this sense, it is an introductory museum of modern and contemporary art.This kind of museum is limited. In Europe, I only recall “Tate Modern” in London and “Pompidou Museum” in Paris. In that sense, I think this is a very valuable museum.
Below is a list of 84 artists at the special exhibition when I visited. I think you will also find the names of famous artists in contemporary art.
Entrance is facing to the central square surrounded by the museum building. There were three pieces of cloth with color of red, yellow and blue, and hanging over the head. These three colors have good contrast with the blue sky at background, and this view has caught my eyes.
In addition, museum restaurant and cafe on the side of the central plaza were excellent, and I impressed the comprehensive strength of the building, the exhibition space, and the artworks. There are not many restaurants or shops around the museum, but the area attached to the museum’s building had a different atmosphere than the restaurants and shops in the central of Lisbon city.
Since this museum must be not well known, and it is difficult to imagine the combination of contemporary art and Lisbon city, there were limited visitors in museum. Therefore I relaxed to appreciate artworks. I guess this also relates to the location of Portugal.
I remember that a long time ago, a European who worked together had cited Portugal as a place to live in later years. As you walk around the city, you can feel an easy atmosphere and feel that people is relaxing. Portugal is a place in Western Europe where there is a relaxing atmosphere, and I think that this is the place worth to visit, just walking the city.
Visited in 2013
Basic Information
■ Name of Place : Berardo Collection Museum (Museu Colecgao Bernardo)
■ Address : Praça do Império, 1449-003 Lisboa, Portugal
■ Homepage : http://en.museuberardo.pt/
