FUNDAÇÃO DE SERRALVES

Visiting the Serralves Villa is a step back to the 1930s. You will be treated to interesting insights into the house that once belonged to Count Carlos Alberto Cabral. Along with the magnificent Art Deco architecture. Art lovers flock to the museum on the estate to view exhibits of contemporary art; from famous and emerging young artists. The grounds include eighteen acres of magnificent gardens which include a restaurant, leisure facilities and a forest. The gardens date back to the early 20th century and were designed by the architect Jacques Greber.

HISTORY

The villa and surrounding grounds were once a private home as commissioned by the 2nd Count of Vizela, Carlos Alberto Cabral (1895−1968). It replaced his former summer house further from the centre of Porto. Construction took place between 1925 and 1944 under the guidance of architect Charles Siclis (1889−1944). However, it was José Marques da Silva, who built São Bento railway station, carried out the work.

Despite the efforts of design and construction Cabral and his wife Blanche Daubin spent only a few years living there before selling the estate to Delfim Ferreira (1888−1960) in 1955. Delfim Ferreira's descendants sold the property to the state and nine years later it was classified as a Building of Public Interest. It assumed its permanent role as a museum in 1999 dedicated to the works of contemporary architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. Siza was also responsible for restoration work carried out in 2004 and opened up exhibition space for more artists.

The house spans three floors; the basement once dedicated to the kitchens, service areas where you can find the library, public conveniences and auditorium. Former living rooms and dining rooms on the ground floor now make up most of the museum space. On the second floor a gallery and restaurant are accessed from a large entrance hall. The large open spaces of the rooms are the epitome of the Art Deco style, the most notable example in Portugal.

The French furniture designer and interior decorator Émile-Jacques Ruhlman designed the dining room overlooking the garden, hall, salon, cloakroom and billiard room. Alfred Porteneuve, who worked in the same atelier, provided Serralves with its distinctive pink colouring. An ornate cast-iron screen designed by Edgar Brandt separates the original public spaces of Serralves Villa from the private quarters. René Lalique designed the large skylight on the main hall’s ceiling. The abundance of natural light makes it ideal for its adopted use. Albeit the fixings very little of the original furniture survives within the house and is dispersed in collections around the world. However, the furniture in the dining room are the genuine articles. After restoration, items from the same period were added to replenish the furnishings.

As Porto's second most visited museum the Serralves Museum receives around a million patrons a year visit the various spaces of the Foundation. The museum's aim is to bring to Porto a world-class representation of Portuguese and international contemporary art. The in-house library has a large selection of various artists whilst the rooms serve as galleries for temporary exhibitions. There are no permanent exhibitions, but the museum hosts five exhibits from invited artists each year. The main focus is art starting from the latter part of the 20th century and covers all conceivable mediums. For up-dated exhibition information visit:  Here

April - September: Monday - Friday: 10h00 - 19h00, Weekends: 10h00 - 20h00
October - March: Monday - Friday: 10h00 - 18h00, Weekends: 10h00 - 19h00

Combined Ticket: €20.00, Villa Only: €12.00, Museum Only: €12.00, Park Only: €12.00,
Concessionaery: 50% Discount, Concessionaery: 20% Discount

The thing which makes Serralves extra special is the 18 hectares of magnificent gardens. Starting from the striking façade of the museum and villa, the grounds stretch over 500 metres towards the river Douro. At the far end, there are steps that lead down to a Romantic lake set on a lower level. It was designed between 1932 and 1940 by Jacques Gréber (1882-1962), a French architect and landscape gardener who acquired recognition designing French-style gardens in North America. Amongst the treasures in the park is a rose garden, the Relógio de Sol (Sundial) garden, a camellia garden, exotic plants and trees and a farm. Various art installations by world renown artists are found within the gardens.

Getting There

Contact Details
210 Rua D. João de Castro, 4150-417 Porto, Portugal. | 41° 09' 30.8"N | 08° 39' 37.8"W
+351 226 156 500 | informacoes@serralves.pt |  Website