Macau Museum of Art
The Macau Museum of Art is located on Xi'an Xinghai Avenue in the southeast part of the Macau Peninsula. Standing inside the Cultural Center in the Nape Area, the museum covers an area of 10,192 square meters (12,190 square yards), and the exhibition area is 4,000 square meters (4,784 square yards). It is the largest cultural relic museum and also the only art museum in Macau.
The Macau Museum of Art opened to the public on March 19, 1999. There are many valuable cultural relics and works of art collected in the museum such as Chinese calligraphy and paintings, seals, western paintings, pottery and porcelain, and copperware. The Museum of Art combines eastern and western culture in a unique cultural and artistic atmosphere.
The museum's collection mainly comes from the former Luís de Camões Museum plus items donated and purchased over the years. Some important collections include unearthed potteries and stonewares from the Black Sand Site, Cantonese paintings and calligraphies of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), seal carvings of famous experts, and pottery and porcelain of Shiwan Town (Guangdong). There are also Western paintings of the 19th century plus photographic works and valuable cultural relics found in Macau and neighboring areas. The pottery figures of Shiwan form one of the most important collections in the world. Moreover, the series of early Western paintings, the modern art of Macau, poster designs and photographic works are the best representation of the development of history, culture and art of Macau.
There are five galleries and two exhibition halls covering five floors. The Gallery of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy, and the Gallery of Chinese Porcelain are located on the fourth floor. The Gallery of Historical Pictures lies on the third floor. The main exhibits are western paintings for export and European woodblocks showing life in Macau.
There are two Galleries of Special Exhibitions on the second and third floors. In order to promote art and culture communication from different regions, the Museum of Art holds various cultural exchange exhibitions regularly in conjunction with other cultural organizations and artists in other countries and regions. Among them some large-scale exhibitions attract great attention such as the ‘Masterpieces of the Royal Missionary Painters of the Qing Dynasty’, 'Light of Civilization - An Exhibition of Ancient Cultural Relics of Mexico’, and ‘An Exhibition of the Master: Pablo Picasso’.
The first floor contains a lecture hall, an exhibition hall and two gift shops. With an audience capacity of more than 100, the lecture hall is equipped with professional multimedia projection equipment including slide projectors and video recorders. The Art Museum Gift Shop sells publications of the museum such as painting albums, postcards and posters, and also books and gifts unique to Macau. The Imperial Palace Gift Shop sells many products about the Imperial Palace of Beijing, such as porcelain, reproduction paintings, handicrafts, silk embroideries and other souvenirs.
The first basement of Museum of Art contains a Multimedia Library, a workshop and an exhibition hall. The library is the only specialized art library in Macau. It collects thousands of books about visual art, including art history, painting, cultural relics, pottery and porcelain, architecture, movies and photography. There are many Chinese and foreign art magazines, and also some audio books. Moreover, two small projection rooms and free internet access are available.
After visiting the galleries and halls, the restaurants, coffee houses, bars and workshops scattered around the Museum of Art offer good rest places to visitors.
How to get to Macau Museum of Art
| Entrance Fee | Free |
|---|---|
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 19:00, closed on Mondays |
Recommended Nearby Attractions:
Macau Cultural Center: It includes the Macau Museum of Art, a theater, and some surrounding parks. To the north: Handover Gifts Museum of Macao, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Lotus Square To the south: Macau Science Center To the west: Parque Dr Carlos d’Assumpcao