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Founded in 1833, it is the first Portuguese national museum exhibiting collections of Portuguese art, including a collection by Portuguese sculptor António Soares dos Reis, from which the museum derives its name.
History
The museum was founded in 1833 as Museum Portuense by King Peter IV. Initially it was housed in the Convent of Santo António (in the centre of Porto), exhibiting religious art confiscated from Portuguese convents, and those works of art expropriated from the absolutist followers of Miguel I (who had struggled against Peter IV a year before).
During the 19th century the museum made several acquisitions that were integrated into the main collection, including, in 1850, Museu Allen, the private museum of a British port wine exporter, John Francis Allen, which remained as a branch of the main museum until 1905.[1]
But, it was in 1911 that the museum obtained its collection of work by Soares dos Reis, a celebrated Portuguese sculptor, taking on the name of its benefactor.
In 1942 the museum was transferred from the centre of the city to the former-residence of the Moraes e Castro family, known commonly as the Carrancas (which means scowlers/frowners, a passing reference to the disapproving nature of its members). The large building provided the spaces and conditions to store and exhibit the collections. Over time, the spaces were expanded and modernised under a project by architect Fernando Távora.
Collections
The procession by Auguste Roquemont
The museum has a vast collection mainly focused on Portuguese art of the 19th and 20th centuries, including painting, sculpture, furniture, metalwork and ceramics.
