Museum of the Orient
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The Museum of the Orient, one of the most fascinating museums to visit in Lisbon, hosts a wonderful permanent collection and temporary exhibitions related to Eastern culture. The museum's permanent collection consists of two parts. The first part focuses on Portugal's presence in Asia. While admiring these exquisite pieces, you also get to see concrete examples of colonialism, which unfortunately reflect Portugal's current perspective. For instance, some explanations may seem ridiculous, like they claim that there were no wardrobe in India before the Portuguese. The other part of the permanent collection focuses on the performing arts of Eastern culture. Founded by a Chinese banker named Kwok On, this collection, comprising 600 objects at its inception, now includes over 15,000 items, ranging from musical instruments to puppets, costumes, paintings, prints, sculptures, and ritual objects from Turkey to Japan. During our visit, some of the temporary exhibitions were also quite fascinating. The temporary exhibition titled "Japan: Festivities and Rites," which will run throughout 2024, was one of the best exhibitions I've seen. Exploring the exhibition "Treasures in the Palm of the Hand," featuring a collection of snuff bottles, and examining the great art in tiny objects was also enjoyable. The Foundation Oriente, which operates the museum, utilizes a building dating back to the 1940s. The museum building works, which started in 1993, were completed in 15 years, and the museum was opened in 2008. I generally liked the use and presentation of the museum building. They showcase modern museum practices, and considering its establishment date, I believe it could be one of the pioneering examples in this regard.
Murat YıkılmazMurat Yıkılmaz
30
I came to the museum as it was free from Friday 6pm to 8pm, and they have the tapestry from the temple near my grandparents old house in Macau. The permanent collection is okay, not sure if it will worth the €6 entrance fee. The fan exhibition is also alright. However, it made both of us uncomfortable when the staff there were very rude to us. I got lost on the fourth floor by the elevator and attracted by the Macau room because Macau is my birthplace; however the guard saw me and expelled me in quite a rude manner and told me to go back to the first and second floor. I understand that they might not speak very good English, but I don’t feel welcome in the space. My partner was resting at the lobby and she didn’t get the ticket (even thought if was free during the hours) because she was exhausted. The couch at the lobby was quite crowded and she back hurt sitting on the seat ao she had to sit on the floor next to the couch to stretch a bit. I understand it might not be very ideal, but another guard came and threatened to expel her from the property if she continued the behaviour. To be honest, won’t recommend it but give three stars for the items they have.
Hei Chit LeiHei Chit Lei
30
€6 entrance and provide you with the arts and crafts from some Asian countries and regions: mainly China, Macau, Japan, India and Timor-leste. Like mentioned in many reviews, lots of improvements and adjustments are needed on these hospital-like stairs and dark gloomy background, the collections are very extensive demonstrating different cultures in Asia and their collision and fusion with Portuguese cultures. Especially, the show of Ana Aragao with the name “NO PLAN FOR JAPAN’ she created a world which mixed of 千と千尋の神隠し(a voyage of Chihiro) and Lost in Tokyo, the viewers are getting lost in their own imagination when they face those portraits. Another amazing thing, you can download an APP called Atrivive, scan the portraits by Atrivive then you can see things inside alive………end on 13 Feb so DO NOT MISS IT.
Quali YangQuali Yang
20
It was ok. Some very beautiful pieces, but they lacked a lot of context and how they are related to the Portuguese history. Also, the second floor was not available when we went (the Matsuri exhibition), so I feel a bit disappointed. Getting there is a bit of an adventure. As there is no clear sign to where the entrance in the museum is. So we just circled the building. Also, if you’re there on your way to Belem tower or the Monastery, do not get off the tram. You’ll never be able to get back on, as they are always crowded. We waited for more than half an hour to find a bus to pick us up and take us further. (728) Try and see it on your way back, or late at night when there are not so many visitors on this traject.
Bianca MogosBianca Mogos
00
Realmente sorprendido con este museo. Vivo en Lisboa y he visitado ya varios museos en la ciudad, pero ninguno como éste. Comienzo diciendo que el único punto negativo que le veo es la ubicación, ya que se encuentra lejos de todo y, si quieres verlo, tienes que ir expresamente allí. Ahora bien, la entrada cuesta 6€, pero indudablemente vale la pena entrar (he leído en otras reseñas que los viernes a partir de las 18h la entrada es gratuita). Se trata de un ENORME museo con todo el fondo de color negro, lo que aporta todo el protagonismo a los numerosos artículos que allí se encuentran. Trajes, máscaras, disfraces, joyas, vajillas, envases, libros, biombos, armaduras, katanas, túnicas, bordados y hasta instrumentos musicales de los más importantes países de Oriente son solo algunos de los artículos que allí se encuentran. Además, durante todo el museo podemos ver la relación que antigamente tuvo Portugal con muchos de esos países. La visita que yo realicé no fue muy interactiva (ni siquiera con audioguía) por el covid pero aún así merece mucho la pena. Eso sí, no cometas el mismo error que yo y pienses que en una hora te da tiempo a verlo. Yo recomiendo mínimo un par de hora para verlo tranquilamente, ya que además, suele haber diferentes exposiciones temporales a ambos lados de la entrada del museo, a las que tienes acceso con el mismo billete de entrada. Todo el museo se encontraba muy limpio, incluyendo los aseos, y había gel en cada una de las salas. Me extraña lo poco conocido que es para lo bien conservado y cuidado que está. Un buen punto es que absolutamente todas las explicaciones estaban escritas en Portugués e Inglés. De las cosas que más me gustaron fueron los pequeños botes que en China utilizaban para guardar el tabaco. Había muchos y cada uno con forma, pedrería, colores y detalles diferentes. En general disfruté mucho de la visita y considero que, al estar todo el museo tan oscuro, esto lo envuelve en un aura de misterio que lo hace aún más interesante. Recomiendo su visita sin ninguna duda 😁
Alejandro QuesadaAlejandro Quesada
30
We went here mostly for the Histories of an Empire temporary exhibition, as we have a keen interest in the intersection of Portugal and Asia. It was a decently curated exhibition with some spectacular items and quite a variety of objects on display. The presentation could be better, as there were many places where the text had no lighting on it at all, which in addition to the small font made it difficult to read. I think the museum would greatly benefit from an audio guide for its permanent exhibitions. The Chinese opera exhibition was also very interesting, and it made me want to read some of the Chinese classic novels that some of these operas are based on.
Quinn BarbutaQuinn Barbuta
60
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Doca de Alcantara Norte, Av. Brasília, 1350-352 Lisboa, Portugal
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+351 21 358 5200
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foriente.pt
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The Museum of the Orient in Lisbon, Portugal is a museum of Asian art. The museum opened in May, 2008, and is located in a refurbished industrial building on the Alcântara waterfront.
attractions: LX Factory, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Park Necessidades, SeaEO Tours, Museu da Carris, Pilar 7 - Bridge Experience, Count of Óbidos Rock Viewpoint, LxMarket, Berardo Museu Art Deco, Fun Track, restaurants: Come Prima, Restaurante Capricciosa, Restaurante Doca de Santo, Rui dos Pregos - Docas, Restaurante Ni Michi Cocina Latina, Restaurante Lat.a, Five Oceans, O Palácio, Contrabando Av. 24 de Julho, BLOOM - Bistro & Burgers
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