Casa de Serralves — Attraction in Porto

I'm something of a culture vulture, and I must have visited galleries in 20 different cities. Serralves is the only one where I ever asked for my money back. I'm a bit embarrassed that this is so, so I thought I'd explain my reasons and why you shouldn't bother visiting.

There's no single correct business model for a gallery, but a few classics have emerged in western Europe. There are the prestige institutions like the UK's National Gallery, where income from touring exhibitions keeps a permanent collection free for the public. There are the smaller regional galleries operated on low admission charges by town councils or by site-specific charities. And there are the rich-enthusiast collections like the much-missed Saatchi Gallery in Swiss Cottage, where everything's ad hoc and the attendants are lively art students.

Serralves is none of these things. The present management seems a little cagey about the site's origins and the way that a former private estate became a public art institution. Whatever took place, the outcome was the conversion of a former stately home and its grounds into paid exhibition spaces, operating as a business. Today, a full ticket to the complex will cost you 20.00.

By this point, those familiar with the economics of the tourist industry may be feeling a little queasy. Stately homes are notoriously expensive to run, and those British grand houses that have been reconfigured as tourist attractions have a reputation for charging high admission prices but leaving visitors feeling distinctly short-changed. Think of Beaulieu, or Longleat.

Serralves is a different kind of institution, but it has exactly the same problem. Its huge modernist building and grounds are located in Foz, an outlying suburb undergoing rapid and remorseless gentrification. The upkeep must be prohibitive, because the cost of admission simply isn't reflected in the art on show.

Despite considerable fanfare, the collection in the main house was patchy at best. It was, however, considerably better than those in the gardens, where unconvincing attempts had been made to present a handful of second-rate sound pieces and land art installations as the products of a dynamic curatorial policy.

I would have quite enjoyed the intimate Miro show in a separate garden house, except that perhaps half the artworks were inaccessible. We were told this was because the exhibits hadn't been displayed, but it looked more like staff shortages to me.

Losing faith in an institution is a miserable experience. One inevitably nitpicks. Serralves is poorly-signposted; the site maps were designed for colour, rendering useless the b&w photocopies with which we were provided; the 'treetop walk' is a naff attraction that belongs in a safari park; the tearoom was closed without warning so that we had no refreshment after our long walk; etc etc.

While all of these points might be considered trivial, the site's nasty, heavy-handed policing was harder to ignore. There were security cameras everywhere, and most of the attendants were obviously uniformed rent-a-cops from a local agency rather than bright and well-informed arts graduates.

All this added up to a miserable experience. We were glad to scuttle off to the shabby, beautiful Jardim Botânico with its superb cafe, and we had better aesthetic experiences at the Portuguese Centre of Photography, the Soares dos Reis, and above all the Banco de Materiais... all of which are in easy walking distance from the centre of town.

For tourists, Serralves just isn't worth the bus ride. If I lived in Porto, I guess I'd have to go for the occasional visiting show. But I'd definitely skip that main exhibition, and I'd still balk at those...

This place is outside the town, and I cycled for over an hour to get to it, believing that I would see an art deco house upon arrival. I used google maps to find it and upon arrival my phone was dead. It is poorly sign posted, i only saw one sign when we got a few hundred meters away. The door wasn’t easy to open at all and there was no attempt made to help us. Upon entering, i naturally challenged the excessive price but was told that is the price in a rude manner. There was no welcome, or go this way, or enjoy your visit or how are you. I asked if I could charge my phone, and was simply told no. There were many staff here and virtually all of them were just scrolling through their phones. For the fifty euro price for 2 people, there was no guided tour. There were large nearly empty rooms with just a few prints on the walls. We headed to the art deco house in hope but this was the worst part by far. There was no art deco furniture in the house whatsoever. It had 2 horses hanging from the wall and the ceiling, one with her head cut off. There was a also multiple dead pigeons and a dead red squirrel with a gun beside it. I felt nearly in tears and my stomach physically move. I don’t know who did this despicable act to those poor animals who are friends and loyal servants of people. Whoever thinks this vile and grotesque behaviour is art is in need of psychiatric treatment. These poor animals deserve to rest in peace. Gross beyond words and disgusting beyond comprehension. There was also a room dedicated to a banana taped to a wall and a plastic boy with pencils through his hands and a man hanging from a ceiling. This place is beyond weird and creepy and nothing art deco in sight unfortunately. There was also an old church with all religious objects removed and lots of dead pigeons placed inside. There was also a piano taken apart, an act of vandalism in my opinion. I cannot understand the people behind this place at all. The worst place I have ever been to in my life. Completely and utterly repulsive place and an extremely strange place. Huge disappointment and waste of time even if it was free, which it was far from. A money grabbing place from those with expectations of art and architecture. The garden was nice but it had a huge fake hand in the middle of it, ruining it. This garden is seen in the pictures online and is well maintained and nice. There aboretum has one unusual and nice tree. Aside from that just full of hideous and...

The museum, the park, the Casa, and the cinema house are some of the must-see places in Porto if you’re into art and culture. Beautifully curated and thought-provoking exhibitions make this place truly special. The Maurizio Cattelan exhibition, in particular, is stunning - it stayed with me for days afterward and really challenged my perspective. This is exactly how art should be presented: immersive, playful, and profound all at once.

The concept of the place, the atmosphere, and the scale made me spend an entire blissful day here. The surrounding park is the perfect spot to see some amazing sculptures, to relax and reflect on what you’ve seen, and the architectural design of the buildings themselves is inspiring. There’s also a lovely hidden teahouse where you can grab a coffee or a bite to eat between exhibitions.

If you’re in Porto, don’t miss this cultural gem - it’s an experience that will stay with you long...