Voyage to the Beginning and Back: 30 Years of the Serralves Collection

Marking the 30th anniversary of the Serralves Foundation, Voyage to the Beginning and Back, The Serralves Collection 1989-2019 presents significant works from its collection or that occupy an important place in the genesis and history of the Serralves Collection and Museum. Either because they were part of the original set of works assembled to set up Serralves Museum and the Collection, or because they were specifically produced for Serralves (for the spaces of the Villa, Museum or other parts of the city commissioned by Serralves) or because their first public presentation was in Serralves or because they were part of major solo exhibitions (and remembered as key moments both in the artist’s career and the history of the institution).

This is a way to write the history of Serralves and emphasise the fundamental role that it has played in the careers of renowned artists, establishing a sufficiently special relationship between them and the Museum which has often led to the production, presentation (and acquisition) of new works.

Álvaro Lapa, António Dacosta, Ângelo de Sousa and Joaquim Rodrigo are some of the artists who have been linked to Serralves from the outset, and whose works were included in the original set of works constituted by the then Secretary of State of Culture. The artists who will present works specifically produced for Serralves include Mathieu Abonnenc, André Cepeda, Hamish Fulton, Runa Islam, Albuquerque Mendes, Charlotte Moth, Maria Nordman, Lygia Pape, Augusto Alves da Silva, Mariana Silva and Simon Starling, that are presented alongside works by artists who have had important solo exhibitions in Serralves, including Pedro Cabrita Reis, Luc Tuymans and Lothar Baumgarten.

Serralves Villa also hosted major solo exhibitions and served as an inspiration for projects and works specifically designed for its spaces, including artists such as Pedro Barateiro, Ana Jotta, Nick Mauss, Antoni Muntadas, Richard Tuttle and Luc Tuymans. This exhibition will present some of the works in the specific places of the Villa for which they were originally conceived, as well as works previously presented elsewhere and now installed in the Villa, thereby enabling new interpretations and interactions.