THE MUSEU NACIONAL DE ARTE ANTIGA

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Museums multiplied in Europe in the 19th century, and Portugal was no exception. They were given the task of conserving, exhibiting, and increasing the artistic heritage of nations, as well as a didactic function, initially reserved for artists and scholars, providing models for the former and objects of study for the latter.

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Thus, it was born in 1884, the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, with a collection of more than 40,000 pieces, holds the largest number of works classified by the State as "national treasures", allowing visitors to "travel" through eight centuries of our history and culture.

 

SOCIETIES OF FRIENDS OF MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS IN EUROPE

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At the beginning of the 20th century, the task of caring for monuments and works of art, although recognised as the duty of the state and municipalities, did not exclude the possibility of intervention by private individuals who, individually or in the form of associations, took the initiative to collaborate in various ways. At the same time, societies of Friends of Museums or Monuments were springing up in Europe, linked to the main museum establishments. They assumed the role of collaborators or even protectors of these museums, intending to channel their efforts and money into the cultural cause, thus committing themselves directly, as a society and as individuals, to the preservation of works of art and their dissemination, making a civic contribution to the education and society of which they were a part. Among the oldest Friends Groups were the Societé des Amis du Louvre, founded in 1897, and the Societé des Amis de Musées Royaux de L'État à Bruxelles, founded in 1907.

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A PIONEERING ASSOCIATION IN PORTUGAL

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In Portugal, in 1909, the intellectual and collector Francisco Falcão launched the idea of organising a Group of Friends of the Museum of Fine Arts, whose mission would be to buy works of art to enhance the museum and at the same time prevent them from going abroad. He presented his idea to Alfredo da Cunha, as director of the newspaper Diário de Notícias, which had a powerful means of dissemination at its disposal. Having heard about this idea, José de Figueiredo, who agreed with his concerns, started the Group of Friends of the National Museum of Ancient Art on 27 April 1912 with a first meeting with the founding members, including names such as D. José Pessanha, Minister José Relia, and the Portuguese Minister of Culture. José Pessanha, Minister José Relvas, Afonso Costa, António José de Almeida, Manuel de Brito Camacho, great names in artistic life such as Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, José Veloso Salgado, Afonso Lopes Vieira, Guerra Junqueiro, the actor Augusto Rosa, and later, Almada Negreiros, António de Medeiros e Almeida, Ernesto Vilhena, Antenor Patiño and Calouste Gulbenkian.

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A pioneer in Portugal, one of the oldest in the world and recognised as a Public Utility by the Portuguese Government in 2009, its mission is to contribute to safeguarding and preserving our heritage, enhancing and enriching the museum's collections and those of Portugal, while remaining an autonomous force in defending the cultural interests of its Museum with the political and tutelary powers.

 

Since its foundation, the GAMNAA has supported and collaborated with the MNAA in the realisation, development, and dissemination of its programmes and projects; in the acquisition and restoration of works of art; in the enhancement of its library; in the restructuring of spaces and in the organisation of temporary exhibitions and conferences, making a decisive contribution to the enrichment of the collections.