Manuel de Brito says that the 50s were a period of
Franciscan poverty was linked to politics, first directors of the museums were
academics, reactionary, had a Prime Minister who knew nothing of art and reposed
confidence in a guy named Eduardo Malta, who was director of what is now the Chiado
Museum, was the Museum of Contemporary Art. Anyone enter in the museum that was
not academic. Making a living with art only on demand, particularly sculptors,
and orders were made by the Government, by António Ferro, was a sensitive and
responsible for advertising.
The Modern Art Centre of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
was inaugurated in 1983. It was the time when the work of modern art had almost
no acceptance in Portugal.
Joe Berardo concerns regarding museums that artists
benchmarking is not always the right one and is subject to the taste of the
director of the museum that hold the position at the time.
Julião Sarmento highlights the lack of a contemporary
art museum in Portugal, and the fact that this role be filled by private
institutions such as the Gulbenkian or Serralves. "There are no museums;
Portugal is the only European country that does not have a museum of
contemporary art of the state. The Chiado Museum is a museum of the XIX century,
is a box the size of a walnut shell."
Fernando Santos says that Serralves is losing power at
this time. Had a very important director, João Fernandes. Tired, because things
did not work well and there is no money for programming people end up
discouraging and tiring.
Hargreaves, Manuela – Colecionismo e Mercado de Arte em Portugal,
O Território e o Mapa. Porto: Edições Afrontamento, 2013.
