Museu de Arte Popular

Museu de Arte Popular is a former folk art museum in Lisbon's Belém district, housed in a building left over from the 1940 Portuguese World Exhibition. It is listed as a cultural heritage monument and stands at 38.6937 N, 9.2084 W, close to the Tagus waterfront.

What is the Museu de Arte Popular?

The museum was founded in 1948 to preserve and promote Portuguese folk art. Its building is one of the few structures that survived the Portuguese World Exhibition, held in Lisbon in 1940 to mark eight centuries since the country's founding and three since it regained independence from Spain. Today the building stands as a record of the architecture and ambitions of that era.

What did the collection include?

The displays presented folk culture from across the country: costumes, work tools, agricultural implements, musical instruments, carts, furniture and textiles. Regional examples included ceramics from Minho, baskets from Trás-os-Montes, pottery from Alentejo and fishing gear from the Algarve. The five permanent rooms were devoted to Douro and Minho, Trás-os-Montes, the Algarve, the Beiras, and Estremadura and Alentejo.

What can you see today?

The building stood closed for years and was threatened with demolition before reopening after renovation in 2010. The exhibition rooms are no longer open to visitors, and the collection has been transferred to the Museu Nacional de Etnologia. Inside, you can still view the original murals in the reception area, browse the shop selling ceramics, woodwork, cork objects, textiles and books, and stop at the reasonably priced café.

Opening hours

According to OpenStreetMap, the site is open Wednesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00. It is closed on 1 January, 1 May, 13 June, 25 December and at Easter. Check official channels for current information before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Museu de Arte Popular? In Lisbon's Belém district, in a building from the 1940 Portuguese World Exhibition.

When was the museum founded? In 1948, as an institution devoted to Portuguese folk art.

Can I still see the old collection? It has been moved to the Museu Nacional de Etnologia, so that is where the objects are now.

What is there to see in the building? The original murals in the reception, a craft shop and a café.

Is the building a heritage monument? Yes, Wikidata classifies it as a cultural heritage monument in Lisbon.

Who is it for?

The site suits anyone interested in 1940s architecture, Portuguese history and traditional crafts. It pairs well with a walk around Belém, where many other monuments and museums are nearby, and with a souvenir stop at the museum shop.