Lisbon Art Weekend (LAW) is a non-profit organization that aims to contribute to the strengthening and fluidity of the contemporary art scene in the city by bringing together various art spaces such as galleries, artist-run spaces, private art collections, museums and public projects dedicated to art. LAW organizes one weekend each year for art lovers from Portugal and around the world to visit Lisbon and its contemporary art scene, and assists with parallel events focused on contemporary visual arts.
The main objective of LAW is to offer audiences from all walks of life the opportunity to get to know and visit Lisbon’s growing urban contemporary art scene and experience artworks and performances in their natural habitat. In addition, LAW seeks to provide a framework for discussion through a selection of parallel events.
After its warm climate and characteristic buildings, Lisbon is now making a name for itself with art events. The Lisbon Art Weekend, first organized in November 2019, took place this year from November 10-13. We had a very colorful weekend with galleries, events and art talks spread all over the city. LAW, with the participation of 36 galleries in total, gave Lisboners and those passing through Lisbon a very colorful long weekend. Especially in the center, you can visit many galleries on foot. In addition, a different walking route was organized for each day of the event. During the days of the event, it is possible to join these routes and visit the venues with a mass walk. I created my own route and walked through beautiful parks while visiting the galleries. In a city that smells of history, the parks also smell of history. But there are so many places to see that I must say that it requires a tight schedule to visit in four days.
One of the most impressive places hosting the 4th edition of LAW is “Palacio Fronteira”, a palace built in the 17th century. With its gardens and stunning ceramics, the venue hosted an opening cocktail reception for the event. “Marvilla Art District”, also one of the prominent venues of the Art Weekend, brings an innovative twist to the magnificent building and art gallery and presents an exhibition of artists’ workshop spaces.
Lisbon Art Weekend also hosted the “Young Collectors Circle Lisbon” this year. Based in Amsterdam, Young Collectors Circle is a non-profit, community-based platform dedicated to supporting the arts. It was founded to inspire the next generation of art collectors and at the same time support the art sector in a sustainable way. On Saturday, November 12th, as part of Lisbon Art Weekend, Young Collectors Circle Lisbon was officially inaugurated with an event held at “Casa dell’Arte Club House Lisbon’”— which also has a branch in Bodrum, Turkey. Casa dell’Arte, as the name suggests, is a 3-room boutique hotel that welcomes its guests with works of art in every corner. As soon as you step inside the building, you can see the tastefully furnished furniture and the most beautiful examples of Portugal’s characteristic ceramics. You can visit the place where Lisette van Hoogenhuyze’s works are exhibited exclusively for Art Weekend and you can see works by Turkish and foreign artists throughout the year.
