Alvor Palace, created in 1884 in Lisbon by D. Francisco de Tavora, now houses the National Museum of Ancient Art (MNNA) and its vast collection of 40,000 works including paintings, sculptures, goldsmithing and decorative arts from Europe, Africa and the East. In addition to bringing together the largest number of works classified as “national treasures”, the museum defines good international practices and is a pioneer nationally in both terms of conservation and museography and education services.
The Millennium Foundation provided support to the MNAA in several projects, including the restoration of the D. Manuel Room and the Crib Room, the show by Chapitô celebrating the fall of the statue of Archangel S. Miguel and the organization of the International Congress “Almas de Pedras “, an event dedicated to the recognition of tomb sculptures from the Middle Ages. Also worthy of note is the “Let’s put Sequeira on the right spot” campaign, a project that starts from the ambitious challenge of involving the Portuguese around a common goal: the acquisition, through fundraising, of the painting “Adoração dos Magos” of Domingos Sequeira.
The Group of Friends of the National Museum of Ancient Art organized in 2017 the Colloquium “MNAA Séc. XXI” to discuss issues related to the model of management, financing and human resources in museums in Europe. This event was attended by directors of similar museums from Italy, Spain and Luxembourg.