In statements, Jorge da Costa, director of the Museu do Abade de Baçal, announced that the exhibition “Olhar Portugal,” featuring collections from the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, will mark the reopening of the museum.
The exhibition was initially expected to be available in October, as indicated by the director of MNAA, but due to delays caused by weather conditions, it will only be on display next month when the museum reopens to the public.
“The museum has been closed since February 2025 and is preparing to reopen in November,” stated Jorge da Costa, although the renovation work commenced a year earlier.
A structural intervention was conducted over a year, which included roof repairs and the enhancement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC), as well as the installation of a lift, improving accessibility in the museum.
In February of this year, the last phase of the project began, resulting in the museum’s closure to the public. The updates included internet installation throughout the museum and architectural work, contributing to the space’s modernization and inclusivity.
“There will be several ‘QR Codes’ throughout the museum allowing visits in Portuguese sign language,” highlighted the director, adding that the goal is for the Museu do Abade de Baçal to become “increasingly inclusive and for everyone.”
The renovations were funded with half a million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The museum’s director described them as “structural and essential.”
Founded in 1915, the museum assumed its current name 20 years later in homage to a key cultural figure of the region.
“The permanent exhibition is spread across 14 rooms, offering insights into the history of the northeastern Trás-os-Montes through its collections. The general introduction is made from the Sala do Território, which, through ethnographic, historical, and artistic elements, offers an initial perspective of this area. Here, one can see the charters of significant Trás-os-Montes settlements or the papal bull marking the creation of the Diocese of Miranda do Douro,” as described on the museum’s page on the ‘Museus e Monumentos de Portugal’ website.
This description also notes that the museum holds various painting collections, “largely gathered by the intervention [of former director, between 1935 and 1955] Raul Teixeira, which form one of the most significant samples of naturalist painting in Portugal, featuring works by Silva Porto and Marques de Oliveira, as well as pieces by renowned artists such as Veloso Salgado, Aurélia de Souza, José Malhoa, and Sarah Affonso.”
“Also noteworthy is a significant collection of paintings by Abel Salazar and the magnificent illustrations by Almada Negreiros for the works ‘Fábulas’ and ‘O Pórtico e a Nave,’ by Joaquim Manso,” adds the same description.
