The Serralves Foundation was established in 1989 with the aim of providing the country with a contemporary dynamic that would bring us closer to a Europe that was ready to bring down walls.
Today, Serralves is a cultural institution of reference at the service of the community, whose mission is to stimulate the interest and knowledge of audiences of different origins and ages in Contemporary Art, Architecture, Cinema, Landscape, Environment, and critical themes for society and its future. With an international scope, the foundation fulfils its mission in an integrated way based on an exceptional set of heritage that includes the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Villa and the Serralves Park, and the Manoel de Oliveira Cinema House.
In 2023, under the theme Where the Future Meets Memory, the Serralves Foundation will add new dimensions to the memory and identity of the heritage under its guardianship, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Park and inaugurating the new Museum building with the conviction that it is with living history and a multidisciplinary strategy that we build a better future. The celebration of the centenary of Serralves Park (1923-2023) will be marked by a wide-ranging programme at the intersection between its historical context and the contemporary panorama, reflecting on the future challenges of this unique and iconic space.
The opening of the new wing of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art – the West Building – marks the natural and healthy growth of the institution, its artistic and educational programmes, its Collection, and its mission of making culture accessible to all. Designed by Álvaro Siza, this striking project represents a joint undertaking between the Foundation and this prestigious architect, in a relationship that has lasted for more than three decades.
This new building will host permanent exhibitions dedicated to the Serralves Collection and to Architecture, a strategic axis of the Serralves mission. Consisting of three floors (one for archives and two for exhibitions), the West Building expands the exhibition area by 40% and the reserve area by another 70%, allowing an unprecedented narrative to be presented on Portuguese architecture and contemporary art, while relating it to international artists and movements that contextualise and enter into dialogue with it.
Ana Pinho
President of the Board of Directors of the Serralves Foundation
