This museum was opened in 1916, and it was the first museum in Portugal to be built from scratch to house an artist’s work.
It contains the most complete collection of the works produced by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, an outstanding personality from the cultural, artistic and political milieu of the second half of the 19th century. The collection has a vast and diversified range of pieces produced in the field of visual arts by Bordalo Pinheiro, who was also known as a caricaturist and critic of society. Visitors can see his works in ceramics, decoration and design, humorous drawing, comics and illustrations, with special emphasis on “Zé Povinho”, a figure created in 1875 who, even today, is still found as a representation of the Portuguese people.
The museum shop provides visitors with unique souvenirs and publications related to the artist and the permanent exhibition.
The building, designed in 1914 by Álvaro Machado, received an honourable mention of the architecture Valmor Prize.
