We loved. Much better then we expected. It is a FREE museum that tell about each region in Portugal. They show the culture, behavior. I was very surprised how huge and complete the place was. I would definitely come back and recommend to everybody.

Enjoyed the MC Escher exhibition which is open until September 2018. It costs 11 euros which is a little expensive. The price includes an audio video available in different languages (and special commentary for children). The Escher illustrations are mostly prints or woodblocks so in black and white. They are in chronological order and the famous pieces start from the section on tessellations about halfway through. The are also interactive exhibits on the theme of optical illusion. Overall a great exhibition for fans.

Amazing art gallery for Cornelis, I enjoyed it, price was ok I think 11 euros as I remember, very nice area for tourism, site seeing places and museums and good food!

The Museum of Popular Art is a strange building because it was part of the 1940 Exposição do Mundo Português (Portuguese World Expo), a propagandist event showcasing Portuguese dominance in the world. There’s a mock-up in one of the rooms of how the expo grounds looked. For Portuguese, and Lisboans in particular, talking about the Salazar-headed dictatorship (1933-1974) is tricky. Most people want to forget about it and move on with their lives, but the fact is it happened, and people have to acknowledge it happened, otherwise History could repeat itself. The building housing the museum is from “those days” and so is treated with a certain ambivalence by the older crowd. However, the younger generation at this museum were so enthusiastic about the art on display - a touring MC Escher exhibition - that I felt revitalised. They all spoke excellent English and were a credit to the Portuguese education system. Escher was an amazing drawer and his early pictures of holidays in southern Italy were so well executed that I wanted to visit those places the following day. The small Calabrian villages were depicted nestling amongst giant stones and slabs of rock. All Escher’s famous works bending reality were there and I spent ages in the gift shop working out what I could fit into my suitcase.

Flechtkunst aus Pflanzen. Wer keine Lust auf die Warteschlangen bei Torre de Belém hat, kann sich lieber hier aufhalten und erholen. Kaum Publikum. Eintritt 2,50 €.

Right now there’s an exhibition of Portuguese baskets, not sure how long it’s up. Apparently all their exhibits are temporary. The way the show tells the story of the history, the regional materials and styles, and process of basket-making is fascinating, even if you’re not into baskets. The price of admission was €5 per person, well worth it!

All the Eschers are gone. It's just baskets. Three rooms of baskets. It's a basket museum.

This is an excellent niche museum worth the very low entry of €2.50/€1.25 snrs. The current exhibition dedicated to basketry and weaving as a necessity through the ages to an artisan craft today. There is a 2nd section on art from paleolithic times which I had to skim as I ran out of time; hence the 4 stars. Friendly knowledgeable staff throughout. Please support this type of museum.

Very interesting, the staff was very friendly!

Beautiful temporary exhibition Wonderful building From the 1930’s it was build for the “Portuguese World Exhibition”

The building is great. The exhibition is small but nice. Staff is very friendly.

I saw the Escher's exhibition, and it was very well curated, loads of interesting facts, artworks, and everything was written both in Portuguese and English. Nice space and helpful and friendly staff. Great location too, definitely check it out if you're passing by.

They have no permanent exhibits, only whatever the temporary focus is, so check that you are interested in the topic ahead of time.

The path to the door was grown in with weeds and I was skeptical about it even being an entrance, but sure enough, the museum was open and had a lively display of traditional basket weaving materials and techniques together with samples from all over Portugal. A nicely curated display with fascinating traditional baskets that could help displace some plastics use. Probably not a good place to take kids. Photos are of traditional baskets to take a ferret hunting. It wasn't clear how you got the ferret back into the basket ...

Beautiful, but keep in mind - one exhibit at a time. The photos can be deceiving - and that’s on me!

Bought tickets IN PERSON (with our backpacks on our backs), only to be told immediately after purchase that we can't go in unless we leave our bags in unlocked storage, and that they can't offer us a refund.

Nice museum but did not like the staff.

On the internet it says it is open from 10am to 6pm but in reality it closes from 1pm to 2pm for lunch break. I gently asked if I could leave my bike in a safe place since I had lost my lock but they refused without giving a proper explanation and they sent me away. I am an anthropologist and craftsman and I was really looking forward to seeing the portuguese basquetry exibition but I simply will not because the service was terrible.

Great experience

As a visitor to Portugal, It was amazing to discover the incredible history of basket weaving. It was an area of history I hadn't considered that connects art, utility, and and culture. Unfortunately this museums workers were extremely unkind and followed us throughout our visit. There was not a single other visitor there and I can see how the unwelcoming workers turn people away.

Very nice organized exhibition - I visited the Escher one in March 2018 - and nice place, too. I didn't see any of the permanent exhibitions, if there are any. A bit on the pricey side for Escher (11€), but it was still worth it.

Only saw the MC Escher exhibit - it was very well arranged and organized. Audio guide came with ticket and added a lot of extra information to the exhibit. One of the more enjoyable art museum tours I've had.