MACAM, a large new contemporary art museum, opens in Lisbon. Which incorporates a hotel

Lisbon ’s cultural and artistic scene is being enriched with an important new addition: the Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins (MACAM) opened its doors to the public on March 22. The museum was born from the private collection of Armando Martins, an entrepreneur and art enthusiast, who over the past fifty years (starting in 1974) has collected works by some of Portugal’s and the world’s most relevant artists.

To celebrate the opening, the museum offered free admission to the public on March 22, 23 and 24, allowing visitors to discover a wide selection of works exhibited in MACAM’s galleries. The distinguishing element here is the integration with a hotel facility, which allows guests to fully immerse themselves in the artistic experience. A new experience, then, a fusion of art and hospitality. The goal is to offer a stay marked by sharing, discovery and quality leisure time, in an environment where art is an integral part of everyday life.

The museum’s sections

The first section of the collection includes a historical core of Portuguese art, consisting of the works initially acquired by the collector. The group starts in the late 19th century with Naturalism, continues with the early 20th century avant-gardes and the various generations of Modernism, and goes up to the late 1980s.

It includes several masterpieces and major artistic figures from these periods, including José Malhoa, Almada Negreiros, Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, Eduardo Viana, Guilherme Santa-Rita, António Dacosta, Vieira da Silva, José de Guimarães, Costa Pinheiro, Júlio Pomar, Lourdes Castro, Nikias Skapinakis, René Bértholo, Joaquim Rodrigo, Ângelo de Sousa, Eduardo Nery, Nadir Afonso, Júlião Sarmento, Paula Rego, Helena Almeida, Pedro Cabrita Reis, and many others.

In addition to works by celebrated Portuguese artists, the collection includes works by leading international artists, including Daniel Buren, Marina Abramović, Thomas Struth, Elmgreen & Dragset, Thomas Ruff, Olafur Eliasson, Albert Oehlen, John Baldessari, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Ernesto Neto, Liam Gillick, Isa Genzken, Dan Graham, and Vik Muniz. In total, the collection represents more than 280 artists, organized into authorial cores and thematic groups. The collection is continually expanding.

Among MACAM’s most representative works are Música Surda (1914-1915) by Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, Maio de 68 (1968) by Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, and The Cotton Fabric Paintings #1 (2007) by Pedro Cabrita Reis. One of the most notable presences is Marina Abramović ’s Women Massaging Breasts, part of the 2005 series Balkan Erotic Epic.

Temporary exhibitions: reflections on the Anthropocene and war.

In addition to the permanent collection, MACAM is hosting two major temporary exhibitions from March 24, 2025, set up in galleries 3 and 4. The first, titled The Anthropocene: In Search of a New Human?, addresses the theme of human impact on the planet through works by artists such as Mariele Neudecker and Ernesto Neto. Their research investigates environmental changes and the transformation of the ecosystem in relation to human presence.

The second exhibition, War: Reality, Myth and Fiction, explores representations of war in contemporary art. Among the works on display, João Louro ’s Little Boy #1 and Berlinda De Bruyckere ’s No Life Lost pose questions about the relationship between violence, memory and the collective imagination.

During the days of March 22, 23 and 24, visitors were able to participate in guided talks to discover the most important works in the collection. In addition, the museum hosted live performances and moments dedicated to performing arts, such as the application of mehndi, the ancient art of painting with henna, traditionally linked to celebrations and rites of passage.

The musical program included from 4 to 7 p.m. a sound accompaniment curated by Rui Miguel Abreu in the museum garden, while at 6 p.m. there was a presentation of the album Afloat, performed by André Barros and Tiago Ferreira on piano, with the special participation of clarinetist Paulo Bernardino.

MACAM, a large new contemporary art museum, opens in Lisbon. Which incorporates a hotel

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