
When we look for things to do in the city, it’s quite normal to search for exhibitions, experiences, plays or musicals, but it’s also common to take a look at what new artists are doing in the various art galleries in Lisbon.
Our city is rich in history, culture and art, and in the latter respect it stands out as one of the most vibrant cities in Europe, with some of the most original and unique art spaces that you’ll discover in the next few lines.
These art galleries in Lisbon are already an essential part of the capital’s cultural life, offering artists the chance to exhibit their works to the general public; and art lovers the privilege of being able to admire them in a place duly created for the purpose.
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In Lisbon, art galleries already offer a wide variety of styles and artistic movements, including painting, sculpture, photography and, of course, installations.
There are art galleries in practically every district of the city, from the best known to the independent, making them inclusive and accessible to everyone.
The list of galleries we’re going to present to you below stand out for playing a fundamental role in artistic development and promotion, and are places where artists “connect” with their audiences.
In these art galleries in Lisbon you’ll find several regular exhibitions and they often organize workshops, talks and cultural events to further “connect” their artists – national or international – with the general public.
Underdogs Gallery
Underdogs is one of the best-known art galleries in Lisbon. It encompasses a gallery with two exhibition areas, a public art program, the production of artists’ editions and the development of commissioned art projects.
Founded in 2010, Galeria Underdogs works with a diverse list of Portuguese and international artists connected to the universe of contemporary art inspired by urban culture, promoting the development of close relationships between creators, the public and the city.
Address: Rua Fernando Palha, Armazém 56
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 2pm to 7pm
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Zé dos Bois Gallery
Zé Dos Bois may well be one of the oldest art galleries in Lisbon, having started in 1994 as a non-profit association.
Its aim was to promote exhibitions, installations, video shows, performances, musical performances and other activities in the artistic field, and the primary mission of ZDB’s fifteen founders was to create an alternative structure to the institutional and commercial landscape they faced in the early 1990s.
Today, Galeria Zé dos Bois still maintains the identity that made its history, a transversal idea of public service that values the spirit of collaboration and empathy, constantly seeking new audiences, but always maintaining a strong relationship with the surrounding community, stimulating debate and participation.
Address: Rua da Barroca 59 (Bairro Alto)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 6pm to 10pm
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Liminare Gallery
Galeria Liminare is located in the Lumiar Parish Council, in the beautiful Quinta das Conchas Palace.
It was first created to boost culture and art in that area of the Lisbon capital, but quickly became a space to host temporary exhibitions and a place to promote the visual and digital arts, in collaboration with various local artists.
Address: Alameda das Linhas de Torres 156
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Featured exhibitions: on the website
The Little Gallery
In homage to The Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, a gallery founded by Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen in New York in 1905, A Pequena Galeria on Av. 24 de Julho is a collective art project that stands out for its distinctive space, dedicated to exhibiting, informing and selling works, with a special focus on photography.
Another of its founders’ aims is to promote art collecting and present new forms of artistic production and distribution.
Pequena Galeria’s space is small, but the quality and diversity of the works on display is enormous, in a space that is a unique place for art lovers, collectors and admirers of photography.
Address: Avenida 24 de Julho 4C
Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, from 5pm to 7.30pm
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Zaratan – Contemporary Art
Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea is a non-profit cultural association located on one of our favorite streets: Rua de São Bento, in Lisbon.
Founded in 2014, Zaratan is one of the main references for contemporary art in Lisbon and has been recognized for its diverse and quality programming.
The Zaratan art gallery develops a heterogeneous and mainly free program of events, including exhibitions, video projections, concerts, presentations, workshops and performances.
Address: Rua de São Bento 432
Opening hours: Thursday to Sunday, from 4pm to 8pm
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Madragoa Gallery
Galeria Madragoa, located near the Santos-O-Velho neighborhood, is a contemporary art space founded in 2016. It has always been one of the first supporters of several young Portuguese artists, such as Sara Chang Yan, Luís Lázaro Matos, Gonçalo Preto and Jaime Welsh, giving them visibility on the international scene.
Galeria Madragoa has always created research and production experiences for its local artists and has promoted its program through participation in various international art fairs, gallery exchanges and exhibition projects.
Today, this is one of the art galleries in Lisbon that most actively represents artists from Portugal, Italy, Ecuador, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Brazil and South Africa.
Address: Rua Machadinho 45 (Santos)
Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Belo-Galsterer Gallery
Located in the center of Lisbon, near Marquês de Pombal, Galeria Belo-Galsterer, founded in 2012, aims to introduce artists from different backgrounds and generations to the Portuguese and international art scene, as well as to its collectors and institutions.
With a quality program throughout the year, marked by the artists’ work of excellence, the gallery presents a variety of artistic expressions that reflect the values of contemporary society, from drawings, sculptures, installations to videos, always reflecting on the artists’ cultural heritage.
This Lisbon gallery also promotes workshops, seminars and guided tours, as well as offering individual advice and consultancy services for collectors and those wishing to become art collectors.
Address: Rua Castilho 71, RC esqº
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 2pm to 7pm
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Eritage Art Projects
Eritage is an experimental art gallery located opposite the National Museum of Ancient Art in Santos.
Founded after a four-year creative process through the wozen gallery, the gallery’s name comes from 13th century Old French and means “inheritance” from a social, cultural and spiritual perspective.
This cultural space aims to create a free, egalitarian collective consciousness focused on spreading more harmonious and sustainable ways of living in relation to nature and society, and acts as a space for presenting and developing ideas.
Address: Rua das Janelas Verdes 128B
Opening hours: Wednesday to Friday, from 3pm to 7pm; Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm; and Sundays from 2pm to 5pm
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Resistance Gallery
This may well be one of the newest art galleries in Lisbon, but it’s still steeped in history.
From 1957 to 2020, this space was the Abel, Guilherme & Alves Lda. store, which sold electricity, water and gas products, and has now been transformed by one of the grandchildren into an art gallery that aims to showcase a holistic way of creating and, at the same time, promote a commercial relationship whose main objective is the promotion of art itself.
It therefore proposes to offer the artists who exhibit here a place where their creativity can endure.
Address: Rua Tenente Espanca 2A (Praça de Espanha)
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
Featured exhibitions: on the website
Map of art galleries in Lisbon, and a list for your cell phone
As you can see, these art galleries in Lisbon are already part of the city’s art scene and are living proof of the city’s rich culture and artistic heritage, as well as being an important part of its identity and history.