On 20 January 2026, the Lisbon Consortium welcomed Philippe Vergne, Director of the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum in Porto. The open lecture “The Museum as a Muse” was part of the seminar Arts Markets and the Practices of Collecting by Professor Maura Marvão (Phillips Auction House).
Vergne discussed the meaning of the museum by referencing a variety of art institutions and museums, exhibitions, and artworks that have marked his career. Focusing on the museum as a space for experimentation, Vergne highlighted its disruptive potentials, especially in interrogating the spaces-in-between within the histories of art.
With an emphasis on acquisition, the lecture explored the responsibilities of art institutions and curators towards artists and society, including practical advice regarding tensions that may be professionally challenging yet productive.
We are honored by this exchange and look forward to the next occasion.
The Lisbon Consortium 