Explore Lisbon
Housed in the Centro Cultural de Belém is the Berardo Collection, a unique collection of modern art amassed by wealthy Madeiran Joe Berardo. Some of the most celebrated artists of the current and last century are displayed on the top floor, (but the collection is so large that not all of it can be shown at once), with two further floors given over to temporary exhibits. The best parts of the permanent collection (some of which should be on display) include Eric Fischl’s giant panels of sunbathers; Andy Warhol’s distinctive Judy Garland; and Chris Ofili’s Adoration of Captain Shit, made with genuine dung. Portugal’s Paula Rego is well represented – The Past and Present and The Barn are particularly strong. Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Mark Rothko usually feature, along with various video artists – don’t miss Jakab Napras’ extraordinary video collage, Babylon Planet, showing an amoeba-like world where blood is mankind and the heart is a vortex of spinning money.
