MACNA: Nadir Afonso Contemporary Art Museum: A Unique Work By Architect Siza Vieira

Situated on the right bank of the River Tâmega, the building that hosts the museum is a unique structure of worldwide prestige, designed by the renowned Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, a Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, a prestigious international award in the field of architecture.

Located in an area covered by the Polis Programme, the building sits on a white concrete platform. Since the risk of flooding cannot be ruled out, the single-storey building is raised off the ground by a series of perpendicularly laid slabs, with access via a ramp.

Siza Vieira has not forgotten Nadir Afonso's geometry in the design of the building. Underneath, concrete slabs break into mismatched passages of arches, which outline geometric shapes such as the square, the semi-circle and the triangle. 

The space now occupied by MACNA is in harmony with its surroundings. Once consisting of old vegetable gardens, its design kept several fruit trees and ruins, creating a balance between the identity of the place and the contemporary features of the building.

The wing of the MACNA facing the Tâmega features a footpath with stonewalls, which separate it from the river banks. A path that easily allows visitors to connect to other tourist points of interest such as the Roman bridge of Trajan.

Its anthropomorphic shape helped to design the spaces, which run longitudinally along the building. Its interior consists of permanent and temporary exhibition rooms, auditorium, library, shop, workshop and technical areas.

The Library has a bibliographical collection specialising in Art (exhibition catalogues, manuscripts and periodicals), and is available to the public during the museum’s opening hours. The entire collection is available for public consultation.

The MACNA has an Auditorium that can accommodate up to 101 people seated, designed for cultural, social, academic and other events, as well as for film screenings. The architect Siza Vieira designed all its furniture.

The MACNA shop offers visitors signature merchandise and articles by Nadir Afonso, which also bear the MACNA logo, as well as many catalogues produced for each exhibition held. The shop is open to visitors at any time during the museum's opening hours.  

The exhibition rooms are located in the centre of the building and communicate with each other, allowing visitors freedom of movement. Works by Nadir and other well-known artists are exhibited here.

The surrounding landscape is a constant in the building, meandering through the various openings that rip through the concrete. The gallery facing the Tâmega is an example thereof, a continuous horizontal opening that extends the exhibition to the outdoors, integrating and dialoguing with it.

The Nadir Afonso Atelier is located at one end of the building, facing the Tâmega. A space with plenty of natural light through its openings to the outside, especially a geometric window, with the landscape as a background that is an invitation to inspiration and creativity.

In an adjoining room, we can find the visual arts room, used to develop activities with children and young people, such as painting, drawing, collage, etc. In addition, there is a close connection to the landscape through a horizontal window.

There are countless reasons to visit the MACNA: contemplating the architecture of the building, viewing the works of art, the contact with nature and the place, enjoying a space of creativity and inspiration. Visit, feel and experience Art in an emblematic space like the MACNA.