National Museum of Ancient Art

Saturday 21 November

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon

On November 21, the National Museum of Ancient Art partially reopens to the public, after more than a year closed for renovation works under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). More than a renovation of the building, the intervention proposes a new way of looking at the collections, with reorganized routes, highlighted pieces and better visiting conditions. Among the most visible changes is the new pink façade, inspired by 19th-century visual testimonies, which gives the museum a modernized image. Inside, 16 renovated rooms invite visitors to discover emblematic works, such as the Cross of D. Sancho I, the Custódia de Belém (Monstrance of Belém), the Reliquary of Queen D. Leonor or the Namban Screens, in a route that highlights the dialogue between Portuguese art and the influences of other cultures. The reopening also allows visitors to rediscover the Capela das Albertas, restored with its blue and white tiles and gilded woodwork, as well as the garden overlooking the Tagus. The return of the museum to the city comes with a program that includes new temporary exhibitions: Imagens da China em Papel de Parede. O Ciclo da Porcelana (Images of China in Wallpaper. The Porcelain Cycle), Molduras: Janelas para a Arte? (Frames: Windows onto Art?) and Figuras Populares. Desenhos Europeus (séculos XVI-XIX) (Popular Figures. European Drawings, 16th-19th centuries). Between heritage, research and new perspectives, the MNAA seeks to establish itself as a museum open to the world and to the city, renewing the public's relationship with art and history. ARV.