The future MACAM museum in Lisbon
This contemporary art museum is housed in a palace (the Palácio dos Condes da Ribeira Grande) built in 1701 by a nobleman known as the Marquis of Nisa, a relative of explorer Vasco da Gama. For a short period, in the late 1800s, it was home to playwright João da Câmara, who was the first Portuguese author to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature. Throughout the 20th century it was a high school, the Liceu Rainha Dona Amélia, which closed in 2002.
Major renovations starting in 2020 converted it into a museum and a hotel. The museum presents contemporary art amassed by collector Armando Martins, and is scheduled to open in late 2022. The collection includes works by major Portuguese artists like Paula Rego, Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, Júlio Pomar, and Julião Sarmento, but there are also a few international names. Some pieces will be displayed in the luxury hotel.
Also shared by the museum and the hotel are a restaurant, a café, a garden, a small auditorium, and a former chapel that will host cultural events.
Rua da Junqueira, Belém
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Attractions Nearby
The MACAM is found on the main road to the district of Belém, where there are two other contemporary art museums – the MAAT and the MAC/CCB Museum – in addition to some of Lisbon’s top tourist attractions, like the Jerónimos Monastery, the Belém Tower, the Discoveries Monument, and the Coaches Museum.
