In Portugal, preserving modern and contemporary art.
Ever since the creation of EDP Foundation the artistic and cultural world have been targets of their attention. In this context and aligned with EDP’s active patronage policy, there is the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation, from which EDP is the Primary Patron of, since 2011. Hence, we count with over a decade of History in the preservation of modern and contemporary art.
Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation: to promote modern and contemporary art
The year was 1985, when Arpad Szenes past away. In an homage note, Vieira da Silva wanted to create a Study and Investigation Center dedicated to the art of both. The location was already set: his house in the Amoreiras Garden. However, this location didn’t have the necessary conditions for this purpose, that’s when Guy Weelen and Sommer Ribeiro took responsibility to make this dream a reality.
Three years after and the project of the artists began in the old Fábrica de Tecidos de Seda, or Silk Fabric Factory. Besides the support of the then President of the Republic, Mário Soares, and also Prime-Minister Cavaco Silva, many were the renowned institutions that allied with the artistic cause. Lisbon’s City Hall offered the space, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation financed the constructions to adapt the place. Also, for the development, the Luso-American Foundation equipped the building.
Regarding the artistic work and documentation for the museum and documentation center, these were assigned to the plastic artist. In turn, the State committed to ensure an annual allowance for expenses, maintenance, and conservation of the Museum and the Documentation and Investigation Center.
It’s with the Decree-Law nº. 149/90 from May, 10th of 1990, that the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation becomes official. Registered as a public utility institution and legal entity, with the purpose to recognize the importance of Arpad Szenes and Vieira da Silva for the national culture.
To preserve and disclose art
In 2011, EDP Foundation becomes the Primary Patron for the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation program. We count on more than a decade of history in the preservation of modern and contemporary art.
The Patron Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation project has the mission to support its artistic programming. This way, it’s possible to make modern and contemporary art exhibitions become a reality and making them available to the general public.
Besides preserving and disclosing its modern and contemporary heritage from both artists, EDP’s support to the Foundation made sure that the public was aware of their work and supports the forming of the public in what plastic arts are all about.
Accessible art: Museum for Everybody
In october 2016, the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva Foundation started a pilot-project of accessibility directed for the blind and visually impaired public. This project is in the Solidarity EDP program - Social Inclusion 2016 and has the sponsorship of the State Department for the Inclusion of Disabled People.
The areas of intervention of this project under “Museu para Todos” (Museum for Everybody) were three:
- To improve lighting, signposting, and even subtitling conditions (in braille), to facilitate autonomy while moving around and the comprehension of the space for visitors;
- To adapt the cultural content to formats of easy comprehension, like three-dimensional models, braille scripts, or charts with bigger letters.
