We cross Rua do Campo Grande, in Lisbon, to number 382 and several wires connected between the walls, with swallows covering the entire façade of a 19th century house, stand out. A black cat in the window window, an XL-sized lizard fleeing to the side of the house and an XL-sized bee landing on the high wall are small clues to our next stop, but it is Bordalo Pinheiro's bust that confirms us. that we've arrived at the right place: the Museu de Bordalo Pinheiro.
We enter through a side corridor of the main building where a panel of green tiles with a pattern of black cats runs along the wall, a sign of luck for the superstitious. At the end of the corridor we find an inner courtyard which is the center of the museum's three galleries and where we can buy a ticket.
Bordalo Pinheiro was born in Lisbon and married Emília Bordalo Pinheiro of whom he had 2 children. He directed the satirical newspaper A Paródia and was the creator of the figure “Zé Povinho” who passed from paper to ceramics and can be found in so many Portuguese houses. He also founded the political humor newspaper “António Maria”, which only had two series between June 1879 and January 1885, and “Pontos nos is”, the humorous weekly directed and illustrated by him. In the museum you can see a selection of originals that were later published.
“We enter through a side corridor of the main building where a panel of green tiles with a pattern of black cats runs along the wall, a sign of luck for the superstitious.”
His taste for earthenware led him to create in 1884 the Fábrica das Faianças in Caldas da Rainha, with his brother Feliciano Bordalo Pinheiro, who helped with the technical-artistic aspects. The pieces were inspired by vegetable motifs, fruits, vegetables and scenes from the daily life of so many Portuguese people. Of the pieces that come to us today, the swallows, the frogs, the Zé Povinho, his classics have been immortalized, which have remained and have endured in history. Today, the factory still produces tiles, panels, pots, centerpieces, jars, busts, fountains, washbasins, pitchers, plates, vases and giant animals with the detail and detail that the work deserves.
After his death, his son Manuel Gustavo Bordalo Pinheiro inherited the factory and his father's mastery in the art of sculpture. In 2018, when the factory was at risk of bankruptcy, the Visabeira group seized the opportunity and bought and revitalized its image and brand.
In the museum we find several unique examples and many pieces that Bordalo made while he was alive to give to friends, or special moments such as the family's tea service, the crockery service he made for his daughter, the bust of his lover that was kept in the locker he had at the factory for years, rare pieces of furniture and the original drafts of his publications in the main magazines he collaborated with. The tiles with different patterns and influences ranging from Naturalism to the Renaissance, through Art Nouveau and the Hispanic-Arabic legacy.
For those who are experts in the field of Bordeaux, it is possible to consult the Author's Specialty Library with works from his personal collection that have inspired him so much throughout his life. The Library is on the ground floor of the main building.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Open Tuesday to Friday, 11:00am to 5:00pm, and Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00am to 12:00pm.
Closed on Mondays, January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.
PRICE
Full Ticket: 3,00€
Discounts upon presentation of a supporting document
Young people 13-25 years old: €1.50 (non-residents in Lisbon)
65 years or older: €2.60 (seniors not residing in the municipality of Lisbon)
Disabled persons: €2.60 (+60% disability upon receipt; free companion)
Lisbon Card holders: €2.40
Free entry
Children up to 12 years old
Young people 13-18 years old (residents in the municipality of Lisbon, upon proof)
65 years of age or older (residents in the municipality of Lisbon, upon proof)
Sundays and holidays until 2 pm (residents in the municipality of Lisbon, upon receipt)
For more information click here.
CONTACTS
Telephone
+351 215 818 540
Information info@museubordalopinheiro.pt
Ticket Office bilheteira@museubordalopinheiro.pt
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