Contemporary Art Tours in Lisbon: ArcoLisboa lights up the city
As we approach the first edition of ArcoLisboa (May 26th– 29th), Lisbon’s art scene is warming-up for one of the most awaited events of the year. This is the perfect moment to plan a contemporary art tour in Lisbon and enjoy the exclusive program that Episode Travel has designed for this super special occasion.
Contemporary Art tours in Lisbon: Celebrating Art
In May, Lisbon is especially beautiful, as the blooming of the Jacaranda trees taint the city with purple and blue flowers. This explosion of colors sets the perfect atmosphere to the celebration of contemporary art in Lisbon that ArcoLisboa brings. ArcoLisboa, the sister-project to Madrid’s renowned contemporary art fair, will congregate 40 Portuguese and international art galleries at the Cordoaria Nacional, a 18th century building turned into exhibition space. But the festive atmosphere goes well beyond its walls, as the city’s best museums and art galleries prepare special shows and events that will create an outstanding program. A carefully planned contemporary art tour in Lisbon is the best way to make sure you won’t miss a thing.
The places of Contemporary Art in Lisbon and ArcoLisboa
“Lines of Dialogue” is without a doubt one of the highlights the season. Curated by Lorena Martinez de Corral, it establishes an unforeseen dialogue between two collections exploring Portuguese and Spanish photography within the same time-frame. The Coca-Cola Foundation Collection, which encompasses different types and expressions of contemporary art with a special emphasis on photography, will be in dialogue with one of the most important contemporary photography collections, the Novo Banco Collection. It opens on April 7Th at the Novo Banco art space.
A few weeks later, on 24th May, a new exhibition opens at the Museu Arpad Szenes Vieira da Silva, one of the Lisbon’s most unique art venues and an obligatory stop in our contemporary art tours in Lisbon. Three artists – Pedro Calapez, Mitso Iura and Rui Sanches – will present new works that explore and interpret the idea of Library, central to the oeuvre of Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, considered by many the most influential Portuguese painter of the 20th century. “Backstories” is the title of this project which will encompass an exploration of the artist’s own library and include the celebrated painting Bibliothèque en Feu, which is part of the CAM collection. Other must see in this contemporary art tour in Lisbon around ArcoLisboa are the collections of Museu Berardo, Museu do Chiado, and the shows at Fundação Leal Rios and Pavilhão Branco.
The show goes on: Contemporary Art Tours in Lisbon and Sintra
If Lisbon will be bursting with art in May, this creative climate will spread to the neighboring towns, such as the beautiful Sintra. Here, at Parque da Pena, where the Palácio da Pena, an icon of 19th century architecture in Portugal, was built, an in situ exhibition will pay tribute to the Palace’s founder, King Fernando II, in the 200th anniversary of his birth. The Palace and Park were the fruit of D. Fernando’s dream and vision, a dream where art, architecture and nature intertwine. With this new exhibition, called “Point of View”(a reference to the architectural concept of point de vue/ perspective) a series of celebrated young contemporary artists – Alberto Carneiro (PT), Alexandre Farto/Vhils (PT), Antonio Bokel (BR), Bosco Sodi (MX), Gabriela Albergaria (PT), Nespoon (PL), Nils-Udo (DE), Paulo Arraiano (PT), Stuart Ian Frost (UK), among others – will explore the intriguing relations between Nature and Man, setting off an inspirational dialogue with both the past and the spirit of the place.
Contemporary Art Tours in Lisbon: exclusive insights into ArcoLisboa
Celebrating art at the galleries and museums, but also on the streets, the city will open its arms to creativity and expression. During ArcoLisboa, many galleries in Lisbon will be open for extended hours, and Episode Travel will guide you in this incredible art circuit, through a special program designed to discover everything the city has to offer. Through this tailor-made contemporary art tour in Lisbon, you will go behind-the-scenes and meet the artists, curators and galleries that make Lisbon’s art scene so unique. An insider’s view of this exciting cultural landscape would not be complete without a privileged access to exhibition openings and unique guided tours to the city’s most impressive museums and galleries, which we also offer.
Photograph Lines of Dialogue exhibition Novo Banco ©Tiago Marques
