Portugal’s Artistic Heritage
MACAM – Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins, a new contemporary art museum and 5-star hotel, to open in Lisbon.
Words Art+ Magazine Team
Photos MACAM
May 22, 2025
MACAM, the first museum and 5-star hotel concept of its kind in Europe, is to open its doors to the public on 22 March 2025. Set in the historic site of Palácio Condes da Ribeira Grande, that’s located between Lisbon’s Alcântara and Belém cultural districts, MACAM covers 13,000 square meters, including 2,000sq meters of exhibition space.
This major project was led by the Portuguese architectural studio MetroUrbe, who worked closely with MACAM to restore and maintain the historical features of the 18th century Palácio Condes da Ribeira Grande, while creating a harmonious contemporary extension to house MACAM’s ongoing temporary exhibitions program. The award-winning façade of the new wing is covered in a series of three-dimensional tiles developed by Portuguese artist and ceramist Maria Ana Vasco Costa, an ode to Portugal’s tile-making tradition.
MACAM is brought to life by Portuguese Founder and Entrepreneur Armando Martins to showcase his personal art collection, which comprises more than 600 works, dating from the late 19th century to present day. MACAM represents the culmination of Armando Martins’ five-decade passion and commitment to acquiring modern and contemporary art and embodies Martins’ firm belief that art should be accessible to all. Under the project motto: The House of Private Collections, MACAM will also invite other private collectors to show their collections in MACAM’s exhibition space, further promoting the Founder’s mission to make personal collections open to the public.
“I hope that this project can be useful and make a contribution to the city of Lisbon, to its culture and to those who visit us.” says Founder and Entrepreneur Armando Martins.
The opening date holds special significance, coinciding with the anniversary of Armando Martins and the acquisition of his first original artwork on 22 March 1974. The collection at MACAM showcases modern and contemporary art made by Portuguese and international artists, featuring acclaimed artists such as Marina Abramović, Helena Almeida, Olafur Eliasson, Elmgreen & Dragset, Isa Genzken, Liam Gillick, Dan Graham, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Julião Sarmento, Amadeo de Sousa Cardozo, Ernesto Neto, Júlio Pomar, Paula Rego, Thomas Struth, and many more. Adelaide Ginga, Director of MACAM Museum, has played a pivotal role in shaping the museum’s vision, ensuring it stands as a landmark institution that reflects Portugal’s artistic heritage while embracing a dynamic global dialogue.
The 5-star MACAM Hotel, led by Vera Cordeiro, features 64 bespoke rooms, each offering a blend of an artistic and luxury hotel experience in one, as MACAM’s art collection is woven throughout the corridors, each hotel room and MACAM’s outdoor terraces. The MACAM complex offers a restaurant and a café, where visitors and hotel guests can experience local cuisines, an auditorium and a shop with exclusive editions of prestigious Portuguese brands. One of the highlights of this project is a desacralized 18th century chapel, which has been restored and features an arts bar. This unique venue will host a year-round program of cultural events, live music performances, poetry readings and literature sessions.
For MACAM’s inauguration, three artists were specially invited to develop site-specific artworks. In the old chapel, Spanish artist Carlos Aires created an installation that’s inspired by the ancient ambiguous relationship between spirituality and the brutality of the war. Portuguese artist José Pedro Croft created a sculptural intervention consisting of three large oval elements in steel and colored glass located on the eastern terrace of the palace façade. For MACAM’s western terrace, the Canadian artist Angela Bulloch designed a colorful, vertical composition of five irregular polyhedrons painted stainless steel, that serve as a playful optical illusion depending on the position of the viewer.
For more information, visit MACAM’s website, or follow on Instagram @macam.museum_hotel.
