Abel and João de Lacerda,
would found, in the 1950’s, an unusual museum, located on a mountain in the
heart of Portugal, surrounded by abundant vegetation, facing south over a
never-ending valley of 80 Km: the widest panorama in the country.
With a strong passion for art,
Abel de Lacerda would build a museum, following the highest and most up to date
concepts of museology, to house an uncommon collection of art objects,
comprising 500 items of painting, sculpture, furniture, ceramics and tapestry,
ranging from Ancient Egypt to Picasso.
A man with a passion for cars,
João de Lacerda would build another building next to the first one, created to
showcase 100 cars and motorcycles, designed in such a way that all the vehicles
could easily leave the building, for exhibition or conservation purposes.
The museum’s building was
planned by Abel de Lacerda to house the donated precious antiques, in 1959. It
was one of the first museums designed and created in Portugal, embodying the
modern requirements of museology.
The museum shows six art
collections: Art, Modern Art and Contemporary
Art, Automobiles, Motorcycles, Cycles and Toys.
The automobiles:
At the time,
Automobile Museums were still rare in Europe.
This initiative
had strong impact not only for the rigid selection of the exhibited automobiles but also because
since the beginning efforts were made to consecrate them as works of Art.
Indeed it was
the Museum of Caramulo the first in Europe to present an exceptional collection
of Art works – ranging from pre-historic to twentieth century objects – where Picasso’s, Dali’s and Vieira da Silva’s
painting were displayed in harmony with
automobiles carefully chosen and rebuild according to their original look. This
are indeed representative of the first century of life of the motorcar in
Portugal.
The stamps:
The six specimen
selected by the Portuguese Post Office to appear in a stamp issue are a sample
of more than sixty automobiles displayed at the Museum of Caramulo which is
open to visitors all year round.
Museu do Caramulo:
Sources: Museu do Caramulo, CTT-Correios de Portugal
