The Art of Faking It
"Hands up this is a robbery" is the only way to describe the Museu Banksy in Lisbon. I paid my 12 euros at the desk and asked the lady what pieces I should look out for. "We don't have any original Banksy pieces, they are all reproductions" she said. I was out of there and in there all at the same time.
I know the guy is hard to track down but seriously, you can go onto myartbroker.com and buy an unsigned print for £10k. It's not hard, is it? They probably spent more than that just spraying the walls with bad graffiti. Trust me, save your 12 euros. Anyway, street art belongs to the street, right?
When I did my art advisory course at Sotheby we were taken to the auction house to view one of the lots. There was a fake Mona Lisa on the wall that sold for £45k. It was the first time I had broken the ice with my classmates. "What kind of establishment is this?" I giggled. From that moment on they knew I was trouble. One said to me later that day "You party girl? I still wonder if he thought I was a hooker. I am hoping he just thought I was fun.
Mona Lisa Moustache
Anyway, what do you think about faking it? (Don’t worry, I am not going there, just yet anyway). I can’t imagine the dinner party conversation In Essex looking at a fake Mona. Or can I? Wait, I want an invite. My opinion is if you can’t have the real deal why bother? Same goes for the bedroom.
My favourite gallery in Lisbon is the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Designed to create a dialogue between art and nature the gallery is built around two central gardens. It’s serene atmosphere is a place to cool down from the bustling old town. Lady and Child asleep in a Punt by Sargent feels perfectly placed.
John Sargent - Lady and Child asleep in a Punt
I always like to look at the local artists' when I am travelling. Joana Vasconcelos is known for her large-scale installations. Her work is at the MATT. Although, she might be in Venice. She's an international darling.
Joanna Vasconcelos - Solitaro Loner 2008 - Moved to a private collection
I also visited the Berardo Collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art. I did see a few nice pieces. It was nothing to write home about but it wasn't a robbery.
Here are the museums I visited:
If you are an art addict like myself, there isn't enough art in Lisbon to run at. But trust me the tiles, ceramics and pastel de nata are the real deal.
Where I ate:
Cafe Janis - Breakfast for queens
Cervejaria Ramiro - Delicious seafood
Confeitaria da Glória - Pastel de Nata bad boys.
The shopping is pretty special:
Next Memory - Candles and diffusers to die for
A Vida Portuguesa - All homeware and gifts are of Portuguese origin
Caulino - Ceramic, birds, roses and bowls. I so wanted this to be open.
I hope you found this helpful. Share with your friends (maybe, not the faint hearted) and anyone else that might be going to Lisbon.
With love, Jules x
PS: For art writing or art consultancy for your home it’s jules@blankwhitespace.co.uk
PPS: As always, make sure you are following me @blank_white_space on Instagram. It means the world to me.
*Cover photo: Banksy - Pulp Fiction