About CAM
CAM is an art and culture centre with a collection of contemporary and modern art which includes the largest representation of Portuguese artists to date.
The brainchild of Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian’s founding President José de Azeredo Perdigão and its board, CAM opened its doors in its original guise in July 1983, designed by Sir Leslie Martin and associates. A fully redesigned building by Kengo Kuma and associates was inaugurated in September 2024.
Envisioned as a venue to house a collection of modern and contemporary art in 1956, CAM holds the largest representation of 20th and 21st Century Portuguese artists gathered to date. It was also meant to be a site where the work of emerging artists in all forms was to be presented; hence its name: Centro de Arte Moderna. CAM naturally became the home of ACARTE, an avant-garde multidisciplinary programme launched in 1984 by Madalena de Azeredo Perdigão.
Nested in a new garden designed by Vladimir Djurovic, the new CAM hosts numerous presentations of its collection, as well as temporary exhibitions by emerging and confirmed artists, some being exhibited for the first time in Portugal. In addition to its classic exhibition spaces, CAM also features a gallery dedicated to sound art and another to works on paper. An Open Storage, space adjacent to the new Collection Gallery, showcases a changing selection of works from the collection in a more informal context. With this launch, CAM is also proud to offer a comprehensive Live Arts programme, reflecting the eclectic artistic production of our times, as well as a Learning Space and many participatory projects.