📖 Introduction
This extraordinary museum is located in the authentic home where the wealthy Portuguese entrepreneur, collector, and visionary António Medeiros e Almeida (1895-1986) lived and amassed his unique collection. The place is soothing with the rhythm of dozens of clocks, enchants with the brilliance of the assembled jewelry, medals, and decorations, and captivates with the original decor of an early 20th-century urban residence.
🏠 Building
The original owner of the corner building, constructed in 1896, was the Lisbon lawyer Augusto Vítor dos Santos. The next owner, Eduard Guedes de Sousa, expanded it by adding two more floors. In 1927, the building was purchased by the Vatican State to establish the Apostolic Nunciature. In 1943, the residence came into the possession of the Medeiros e Almeida family, where it remains to this day. António personally bought the building and, after extensive renovations, transformed it into his grand home. Thanks to the foundation he established, which oversees the house and the collections, we can now stroll through these beautiful rooms and admire the decorative art collection amassed by the owner over his lifetime.
🏎️ 🛫Exceptional Legacy
António Medeiros e Almeida was a distinguished entrepreneur, attentive collector, and one of the greatest Portuguese patrons of culture in the 20th century. He came from a wealthy family who initially lived nearby on Rua do Salitre. Although he began studying medicine to follow in his father’s footsteps, he quickly discovered his talent for business. Passionate about speed and modernity, his first interest was in the automotive industry; he even participated in car races in 1921. Recognizing the growing demand for automobiles, he connected with English manufacturer William Morris and soon became Portugal’s first importer of British cars, gaining exclusivity in 1926. Real success came in 1932 when the manufacturer reinforced vehicle designs to suit Portugal’s cobbled streets.
António also achieved significant success in the civil aviation industry. In 1948, he bought Aero Portuguesa, a regular airline established in 1934 in collaboration with Air France. He was a pioneer in enhancing passenger comfort, introducing onboard music and tinted windows. He was also the first to employ a full crew consisting of a pilot, co-pilot, mechanic, telegraphist, and stewardess. Despite its high profitability, his company was incorporated into TAP in 1953. António ensured employment for all his staff and was appointed Chairman of the General Assembly of TAP, a position he held until 1960 when he decided to leave and invest his capital in SATA, of which he was also an investor.
It is impossible to list all the ventures of this extraordinary entrepreneur, but he was proud of the fact that at one point, he served on the boards of 21 profitable companies. Medeiros e Almeida was also an outstanding diplomat. He was friends with the British Ambassador to Lisbon, Ronald Hugh Campbell, and supported negotiations between Winston Churchill and Oliveira Salazar regarding the transfer of the Azores base to the British government. In 1947, he was honored with the Order of the British Empire by King George VI. In June 1951, he received the French Order of Commercial Merit for his role in the Confederation of Flax and Hemp.
António de Medeiros e Almeida passed away in February 1986, a few months before his 91st birthday, leaving behind a cultural institution of national and international significance.
🎨 House-Museum
Alongside his intense professional life, António de Medeiros e Almeida passionately collected decorative art. He began collecting in the 1930s, allowing him to acquire pieces from the most renowned European auction houses and antique dealers. In the 1960s, aware of the high quality of his collection and having no heirs, he and his wife Margarida Pinto Basto decided to transform their home into a museum. To accommodate more exhibits, they not only adapted the house but also converted the garden into an additional wing. With the help of architect Alberto Cruz, they created two distinct spaces, resulting in 27 rooms. The older part continued to serve as their residence.
In 1971, António commissioned the first professional inventory of the collection, and the transformation of the house was completed in 1973. To ensure his wishes were fulfilled, António established a foundation in his name, personally approving its statutes and bequeathing all his movable and immovable property to it. To guarantee the foundation’s self-financing after his death, António’s will stipulated the sale of all his companies and the construction of rental properties on a previously acquired plot adjacent to the museum. The rental income from the building, completed in 1992, continues to support the foundation’s activities to this day.
The House-Museum opened to the public on June 1, 2001. In accordance with António de Medeiros e 
Almeida’s final wishes, Lisbon gained a self-financing cultural institution accessible to all, providing a space for cultural enjoyment.
🚶♀Visit
Visiting the museum is a great pleasure. The collection is divided into two distinct museum areas: the wing where the homeowners once lived, which remains largely unchanged, and the second, built over the garden, comprising numerous spaces with recreated environments. The museum displays around 2,000 works of art in its 27 rooms, including furniture, paintings, sculptures, textiles, goldsmithery, jewelry, ceramics, fans, and sacred art, spanning from the 2nd century BCE to the 20th century.
The opportunity to tour a house that once buzzed with life and to see exhibits up close is truly impressive. The silence is gently interrupted by the chimes of numerous clocks, nearly all in working order, each one unique. For example, there is a 17th-century English night clock with internal lighting from an oil lamp. The walls are adorned with 16th and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings, as well as 19th-century English portraits. Original Portuguese and English furniture, along with European and Chinese porcelain, embellish the rooms and display cases.
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