4/5 Murat Y. 2 months ago on Google • 262 reviews New
The
Museum
of
the
Orient,
one
of
the
most
fascinating
museums
to
visit
in
Lisbon,
hosts
a
wonderful
permanent
collection
and
temporary
exhibitions
related
to
Eastern
culture.
The
museum's
permanent
collection
consists
of
two
parts.
The
first
part
focuses
on
Portugal's
presence
in
Asia.
While
admiring
these
exquisite
pieces,
you
also
get
to
see
concrete
examples
of
colonialism,
which
unfortunately
reflect
Portugal's
current
perspective.
For
instance,
some
explanations
may
seem
ridiculous,
like
they
claim
that
there
were
no
wardrobe
in
India
before
the
Portuguese.
The
other
part
of
the
permanent
collection
focuses
on
the
performing
arts
of
Eastern
culture.
Founded
by
a
Chinese
banker
named
Kwok
On,
this
collection,
comprising
600
objects
at
its
inception,
now
includes
over
15,000
items,
ranging
from
musical
instruments
to
puppets,
costumes,
paintings,
prints,
sculptures,
and
ritual
objects
from
Turkey
to
Japan.
During
our
visit,
some
of
the
temporary
exhibitions
were
also
quite
fascinating.
The
temporary
exhibition
titled
"Japan:
Festivities
and
Rites,"
which
will
run
throughout
2024,
was
one
of
the
best
exhibitions
I've
seen.
Exploring
the
exhibition
"Treasures
in
the
Palm
of
the
Hand,"
featuring
a
collection
of
snuff
bottles,
and
examining
the
great
art
in
tiny
objects
was
also
enjoyable.
The
Foundation
Oriente,
which
operates
the
museum,
utilizes
a
building
dating
back
to
the
1940s.
The
museum
building
works,
which
started
in
1993,
were
completed
in
15
years,
and
the
museum
was
opened
in
2008.
I
generally
liked
the
use
and
presentation
of
the
museum
building.
They
showcase
modern
museum
practices,
and
considering
its
establishment
date,
I
believe
it
could
be
one
of
the
pioneering
examples
in
this
regard.