{"id":6339,"date":"2026-04-09T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=6339"},"modified":"2026-04-10T15:20:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:20:52","slug":"even-donkeys-like-the-casa-das-historias-museum-says-eduardo-souto-de-moura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/even-donkeys-like-the-casa-das-historias-museum-says-eduardo-souto-de-moura\/","title":{"rendered":"“Even donkeys like” the Casa das Hist\u00f3rias museum says Eduardo Souto de Moura"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Street<\/div>\n

Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura<\/a> describes how a letter from artist Paula Rego shaped the design of the Casa das Hist\u00f3rias museum<\/a> in Cascais, Portugal, in the final instalment of a video<\/a> series produced by Dezeen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Souto de Moura said the project was driven by a concise and highly specific brief from Rego, who asked him to design “not a museum, but a house.”<\/p>\n

\"Casa
Casa das Hist\u00f3rias museum was designed as a “house” for Paula Rego’s work<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He added that the clarity of this request set the direction for the building, with the programme organised around the varying scale of her artworks.<\/p>\n

Rather than imposing a uniform gallery layout, the Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect<\/a> designed a sequence of rooms tailored to different formats, ranging from small lithographs to large-scale paintings.<\/p>\n

\"Street
Souto de Moura used pigmented concrete to give the building its distinctive red colour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the heart of the building, he inserted an 11-metre-high gallery for temporary exhibitions, conceived to accommodate unpredictable contemporary works.<\/p>\n

“You never know what will appear,” he said in the video. “It could be trees or cars.”<\/p>\n

Located near Lisbon in Cascais, Portugal<\/a>, the project was further defined by its wooded site, which once housed tennis courts for an aristocratic club frequented by the Portuguese royal family.<\/p>\n

\"Exterior
The red concrete exterior will weather and develop a richer tone over time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Souto de Moura chose to build around its dense cluster of trees, but faced the challenge of ensuring the building remained visible.<\/p>\n

His solution was to introduce two striking pyramidal towers that rise above the treeline, giving the structure a distinct presence from the street.<\/p>\n

The building’s deep red concrete<\/a> was chosen to contrast with the surrounding greenery and reference the work of Portuguese architect Raul Lino.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up
The pyramidal forms were cast using timber formwork in a herringbone pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I didn’t want a building that hides with shame,” Souto de Moura explained.<\/p>\n

He added that the dark red<\/a> tone was intended to weather over time, developing a richer patina through sun bleaching. Unlike painted surfaces, the pigment is integral to the concrete<\/a> itself, ensuring the colour remains consistent even if the material is chipped or scraped.<\/p>\n

\"Tall
A tall gallery was designed to accommodate large-scale and temporary artworks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Souto de Moura also drew on Lino’s architectural language in subtler ways, incorporating diagonal corner elements, integrated seating and textured surfaces inspired by traditional tile patterns.<\/p>\n

For the pyramids, the architect used wooden formwork arranged to replicate the herringbone<\/a> motifs found in Lino’s buildings, embedding historical references directly into the fabric of the structure.<\/p>\n

He also emphasised the importance of visual connections to the surrounding landscape, introducing windows and benches that allow visitors to compare the artworks with the natural world outside.<\/p>\n

\"Exhibition
Rego’s works are displayed across rooms of varying scale tailored to different formats<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite its critical acclaim, Souto de Moura expressed ambivalence about the building’s universal praise.<\/p>\n

“It is a mystery,” he said. “I never heard a negative criticism of the building. Even donkeys like it.”<\/p>\n

“Which is bad, because with criticism we move forward,” Souto de Moura added.<\/p>\n