cultureexhibitions

A world of cribs is waiting for you in Vila Nova de Gaia

The exhibition opens today, December 8 at 4:30 p.m., at the Teixeira Lopes House Museum / Diogo de Macedo Gallery.

The Teixeira Lopes / Galerias Diogo de Macedo House-Museum opens to the public tomorrow, December 8, an exhibition of cribs made up of unique collections of António Teixeira Lopes and Diogo de Macedo, joined by works by several national institutions, including one oil painting of the Baby Jesus by Josefa de Óbidos. The opening is scheduled for 4:30 pm, with a musical moment by the Children’s Choir of the Vilar do Paraíso Music Academy and a performance by the String Quartet of the Regional Conservatory of Gaia.

With curatorship of Alexandre Pais, the exhibition includes examples of crib maker art given by institutions of reference, such as the National Museum of Ancient Art or the National Museum Soares dos Reis, among others. They are pieces produced in different regions of the country, with different inspirations and different epochs, from the XVII century until the present time, thus giving to know the multiplicity of colours and textures that were born of the imagination of artists and artisans. Parts of António Ferreira and Joaquim Machado de Castro Laboratory coexist with creations of some of the greatest names in Portuguese craftsmanship, such as Rosa Ramalho, thus demonstrating how the representation of the birth of Jesus evolved over time, from churches and palaces to houses, from the scholar to the popular.

The taste for the crib maker art of Teixeira Lopes seems to have been born under the influence of the father, Joaquim Teixeira Lopes, own creator of nativity figures. Already Diogo de Macedo made clear his appreciation for this artistic manifestation in his book ‘Around the Portuguese Presepeios’. In this work of 1940, the artist emphasized the quality of the Portuguese crib maker production of the XVIII century, issuing notices for the need to safeguard this patrimony. Throughout their lives, Teixeira Lopes and Diogo de Macedo gathered a valuable set of nativities and nativity figures, rescuing them from an uncertain future. This exhibition aims to make known this treasure, valuing it by counterpoint with elements of other collections, equally valuable.

The Municipal Council of Gaia thus marks the holiday season, not losing sight of the constant effort to preserve, disseminate and value the material and immaterial cultural heritage, giving, in this case, a prominence to crib maker art, an activity that, according to some opinions, may be in crisis. In order to sensitize the youngest to this universe of beauty and magic, there are already being scheduled school visits and play activities aimed at the school community.

The exhibition is open to the public until January 6, and can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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