Casa de Malhoa - Lisboa, Portugal
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tmob
N 38° 43.957 W 009° 08.789
29S E 487268 N 4287115
Casa de Malhoa was classified by IGESPAR as Building of Public Interest, in 1982.
Waymark Code: WMDK80
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Date Posted: 01/24/2012
Views: 10
The House of Malhoa, presently Casa-Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves was built to the orders of the painter José Malhoa to serve as both his residence and studio. It was based on the project of the architect Norte Júnior, dated 1904-1905. Lisbon’s first “artist’s house” won the Valmor Prize for architecture in 1905 and was integrated into the plan for the city’s urban development.
The façade consists of three distinct, but interconnected, blocks, whilst the architectural and decorative grammar that were used in its design serve to reinforce the building’s sense of harmony. In the centre, the most notable feature is the large window (corresponding to the studio), whilst to the left of this, a little further back, is the front door reached by a small porched staircase. On the opposite side and detached from the rest of the building is the block corresponding to the dining-room area. The decoration of the façades has taken on great importance because of the careful attention given to the detail in the creation of a harmonious and coherent rhythm between the various ornamental features used. These interplay with the windows and empty spaces that proliferate all over the building amidst neo-Romantic elements and other features that persist from the traditional “Portuguese-style house”, or even hint at a fondness for Art Nouveau, as exemplified by the wrought-iron work on the house’s main gate, carried out in accordance with the architect’s own design. Equally notable is the stained-glass window, of French origin, commissioned for the dining-room and the small annex to the studio.
In 1932, the “Casa-Malhoa” was purchased by Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves, who then began to live there, organising his collection in this space until his death in 1965. In 1969, when this house became State property at the collector’s own behest, it already displayed a number of alterations that had been made to its interior and which hadn’t existed in Norte Júnior’s original project. An example of this was the transfer of the kitchen and service area to the basement. After being adapted to its new functions as a museum, the Casa-Museu opened to the public in 1980. However, the growing demands of an institution such as this justified a new project for its enlargement, so that in 1996 the architects Frederico and Pedro George devised a project annexing the museum’s original space to an adjacent detached house, also designed by Norte Junior. This new space made it possible to enlarge the services available to the public, creating a shop, cafeteria and reception area, as well as rooms to be used for temporary exhibitions.
The Casa-Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves was reopened in December 1997, with its current configuration.
The House-Museum Dr. Anastacio Goncalves, was classified by IGESPAR as Building of Public Interest, in 1982.
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