The collection of old drawings of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the
University of Lisbon
ALBERTO FARIA
Abstract
The collection of old drawings of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon encompasses over one thousand
works, dated between 1830 and 1935. Restricted mainly to classroom exercises, these works witness
the patterns of taste and the methods followed in teaching drawing at the former Academy of Fine Arts
of Lisbon. The integration of the collection in the Virtual Museum FBAUL, created in the beginning of
2011, launched a precedent for inscribing other collections owned by the faculty and assured the
museological identity of the collection and its place in the global network of university museums and
collections.
The Faculty of Fine Arts of the
University of Lisbon
Fig. 1 - Mainline facade of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon.
Photo: A. Faria © A. Faria
The Faculty of Fine Arts in the
University of Lisbon (FBAUL) is housed
in the Convent of Saint Francis, a
building that dates back to the 13th
century (CALADO 2000). The history of
the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon as an
art teaching institution starts in 1836
with the foundation of the former
Academy of Fine Arts of Lisbon. After
the major educational reform of 1881,
the academy became autonomous and
was created the School of Fine Arts of
Lisbon, which in 1992 was integrated in
the University of Lisbon as Faculty of
Fine Arts (fig.1).
The artistic heritage of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon is considerable, eclectic and assembles art
collections of drawing, painting, engraving, mostly dated from the 19th and 20th centuries and
sculptures – collections that have been recently catalogued; as well as books and the legacies of the
Portuguese sculptor Lagoa Henriques and the house of the architect Ventura Terra (PEREIRA 2011,
157–172).
The collection of old drawings
The collection brings together over one thousand drawings dated between 1830 and 1935, that
originated mainly from two academic institutions founded in Lisbon in the 18th and 19th century: Aula
Pública de Desenho (1780) and the former Academy of Fine Arts of Lisbon (1836) (FARIA 2011). 1
Within the collection there can be found drawing class exercises awarded in the sections of
architectural drawing, from prints, casts, ornaments, anatomy, drapery and nude; proofs of admission
1
The collection of drawings was subject of study by Alberto Faria for a master thesis in museology and museography at the
Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon, tutored by Prof. Doctor Luísa Arruda: A. Faria, A Colecção de desenho antigo da Faculdade de
Belas-Artes de Lisboa (1830-1935): tradição, formação e gosto. Lisbon: University of Lisbon, Faculty of Fine Arts, 2009.
178 · UMACJ 5/2012
for teaching at the Academy and School of Fine Arts of Lisbon; drawings of Portuguese pensioners in
the academies of Paris and Rome and studies for an architectural drawing compendium (fig. 2).
Fig. 3 - Main frame of the Virtual Museum site © FBAUL
Fig. 2 - Domingos Costa (1867–1954), Pitcher,
pencil and watercolor on paper, 52,8x35,9cm,
1894, Inv. FBAUL/101/DA, Photo: J. Viriato ©
FBAUL
This collection is an important reference to understand
better the models that were followed in drawing
teaching and the patterns of taste that prevailed in the
academic circles of former Academy of Fine Arts of
Lisbon, and also in the Portuguese drawing teaching
system of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century
(ARRUDA & FARIA 2010).
The Virtual Museum FBAUL and the collection of drawings
The Virtual Museum FBAUL 2 inaugurated in the beginning of 2011 intends to reveal the artistic
heritage of the faculty and its future museum 3 (fig. 3). Presenting in this way benefits research and
allows access to the collection by the general public. Under development, the Virtual Museum opened
with the presentation of the inventory of the collection of old drawings, enhancing by this way its
identity as a museological and research object (ARRUDA & FARIA 2011).
Conclusion
The incorporation of the collection of old drawings of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon in the Virtual
Museum of the institution represents an important effort and the first step to ensure more easily the
disclosure and visibility of the artistic heritage of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon. This also allows the
institution to consolidate its scientific and educational role. The future incorporation of other art
collections of the faculty in this museum will contribute positively to re-enforce its identity and
guarantee a place for it in the network of university museums.
2
3
Available at museuvirtual.fba.ul.pt (accessed December 15, 2011).
This museological unit is still in development although it was assigned in the statutes of the Faculty of Fine Arts in 2009.
The collection of old drawings · 179
Literature cited
ARRUDA, L. & A. FARIA 2011. Museu Virtual da FBAUL. Conferência apresentada no âmbito do Projecto
Conversas à Volta da Mesa, organizado pela Biblioteca da FBAUL. hdl.handle.net/10451/4280
(accessed December 15, 2011).
ARRUDA, L. & A. FARIA 2010. Desenho antigo na colecção da Faculdade de Belas-Artes da
Universidade de Lisboa. Lisbon: Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade de Lisboa.
CALADO, M. 2000. O Convento de S. Francisco da Cidade. Subsídios para uma monografia. Lisbon:
Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade de Lisboa.
FARIA, A. 2011. A Colecção de desenho antigo da Faculdade de Belas-Artes de Lisboa (1830–1935):
tradição, formação e gosto. Lisbon: Fim de Século.
PEREIRA, F. A. B. 2011. O património artístico da Faculdade de Belas-Artes: o edifício e as suas
memórias, as colecções, o arquivo, os legados, um projecto de museu. In: Património da
Universidade de Lisboa – Ciência e Arte, eds. M. LOURENÇO & M. J. NETO (Lisbon: Tinta da China),
157–172.
Contact
Dr Alberto Faria
Researcher
Address: Largo da Academia Nacional de Belas-Artes, Lisbon, 1249-058, Portugal
E-mail: albfaria(at)gmail.com
www.fba.ul.pt