Drawing on the Julião Sarmento Collection, Once Upon a Time in America proposes a reflection on the lasting influence of the North American imaginary on international contemporary art. Bringing together works by artists of different nationalities, the exhibition explores the cultural and visual impact of references associated with the United States — from cinema to urban space, from minimalism to realism — and how they marked the path of Julião Sarmento as an artist and collector. The title refers to Sergio Leone's famous film, but also to an idea of narrative and myth-making, coinciding with the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.
At the centre of the show is Arena (1997, 2026) by Rita McBride, a large-scale architectural sculpture conceived as a space for encounter, participation and debate, reinforcing the collective and democratic dimension of the project. With works by unmissable names such as Bruce Nauman, Ed Ruscha, Nan Goldin, Richard Serra, Robert Morris or John Baldessari, the exhibition traces a path through the multiple forms of representation and interpretation of American culture in the artistic creation of recent decades.
At the same time, the Pavilion presents Conversa de Corvos, the first solo exhibition in Portugal by Iranian-American artist Fariba Hajamadi, whose work crosses photography and installation to question memory, identity and dominant historical narratives.
ARV. Tuesday to Sunday, 11h–19h.
Guided tours: 25 July, at 11h (with LGP) and 29 August, at 11h. Group show, sculpture.