Interview with Mariana Teixeirade Carvalho and Becky MacGuire on the Albuquerque Foundation
The Albuquerque Foundation, envisioned by Brazilian collector Renato de Albuquerque and his granddaughter Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, opened this past February. Located in Sintra, Portugal, the foundation is dedicated entirely to ceramics, housing one of the most significant private collections of export porcelain from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties: more than 2,600 pieces assembled over six decades by Renato de Albuquerque. In addition to showcasing the collection, the foundation hosts artist residencies and temporary exhibitions. The contemporary programme launched in February with a solo exhibition by US artist Theaster Gates, which runs through 31 August. We speak to Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, co-founder and chair of the board, and Becky MacGuire, curator of the permanent collection.
Orientations: What was the inspiration to establish the Albuquerque Foundation and the vision behind the project?
Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho: The family opened the Albuquerque Collection to the public to share its cultural and artistic legacy, making the richness of Chinese ceramics accessible to a broader audience. Our goal is to spark curiosity about the historical and cultural connections that ceramics reveal, while also elevating the medium’s significance through a contemporary ceramics programme. This initiative bridges the past and present, showcasing modern artists alongside historical works to highlight ceramics as a dynamic and evolving art form.
O: How does the foundation’s collection reflect cultural connections between the East and the West?
MTC: The Albuquerque Collection reflects the cultural connections between the East and the West through its extensive assembly of Chinese ceramics, which embody centuries of artistic and commercial exchange. As objects that travelled along major trade routes, these ceramics influenced and were influenced by Japan, the Middle East, and Europe, integrating foreign artistic elements while shaping global ceramic traditions. Their stylistic adaptations and technological innovations reveal the reciprocal impact of these exchanges, with Portugal playing a central role in their circulation. The collection serves as a testament to the enduring dialogue between East and West, illustrating the far-reaching impact of global trade and artistic interconnectedness.
The Albuquerque Foundation
O: What role do artist residencies and temporary exhibitions have in the foundation’s programme?
MTC: Our goal is to have four to six artists in residence each year (alongside scholars, curators, writers and researchers), who will be invited to share their work with the general audience, but not necessarily in an exhibition format. It could be by opening their studio or organizing a public presentation of their work, for instance. The contemporary programme will include three to four exhibitions a year, focusing on artists who are active in the expanded field of ceramics, ranging from young and upcoming artists to established ones, with particular attention to those who have not yet shown in Portugal. One exhibition a year will be dedicated to a historical artist who started producing their work in the 1970s or ’80s.
O: How does the architectural design by Bernardes Arquitetura complement the foundation’s mission?
MTC: The Albuquerque Foundation’s architectural design embodies the duality between old and new, seamlessly integrating the restored 18th century Quinta estate with contemporary interventions by Bernardes Arquitetura. While preserving the estate’s historical integrity, modern exhibition spaces, a specialist library, and artist studios reflect the foundation’s mission of bridging tradition and innovation in ceramics. Just as the collection juxtaposes centuries-old Chinese ceramics with contemporary exhibitions, the architecture fosters a dialogue between past and present. This balance reinforces the foundation’s role as both a custodian of ceramic heritage and a catalyst for new artistic and scholarly exchanges.
O: What is the historical significance of the Chinese ceramics in the collection?
Becky MacGuire: For many, many centuries Chinese potters were the most advanced in the world. Chinese wares spread across the globe, their technological superiority and sophisticated design influencing ceramic production everywhere. And the complex trading networks of Chinese ceramics (and silks) carried along with them powerful currents of cultural exchange.
The storeroom of the Albuquerque Foundation
Installation view of ‘Connections’ exhibition
O: How does the permanent exhibition highlight the unique aspects of each piece while also telling a cohesive story?
BM: Our aim was to show the depth and breadth of this exceptional collection, highlighting some of its greatest rarities while also showcasing the fascinating history that it embodies. Selecting among the collection’s treasures was a daunting challenge—there are many, many more that future shows will reveal. But for this inaugural exhibition it seemed important to tell the collection’s overarching story, which is one of connections—the connections between cultures and peoples in the early modern world. We explore this concept through three thematic exhibition sections: The Spiritual Realm, Encounters, and Life East and West. Each is composed of ceramics and other works of export art across historic periods, which by their juxtaposition illustrate the cross-cultural influences that accompanied global trade in luxury goods—and also demonstrate a very human commonality among what were far-flung and disparate peoples.
O: What is the significance of First Orders?
BM: Portuguese mariners were the first Europeans to reach Asia by sail, and upon their arrival in the first half of the 15th century they immediately sought specially commissioned Chinese porcelain. Despite extreme language challenges, a deep cultural gulf, and enormous physical distance between the Portuguese outposts and the Jingdezhen kilns, more than a dozen blue-and-white special orders were completed in the 15th century. They were decorated with royal or Christian symbols or arms of Estado da India officials and merchants, most often inserted into wholly Chinese decorative schemes. The exceedingly rare survivals from these first specially commissioned Chinese porcelains are living testaments to the very first direct encounters between European and Chinese culture—and they foretell what was to become a vast and world-changing trade.
O: What examples stand out in regards to the cultural intermingling between East and West?
BM: There are so many! I particularly love the large ‘Kraak porselein’ dish—a 17th century type mainly ordered by the Dutch—painted with two Persian ladies taking tea. It’s a good reminder of how fundamental the Middle East was to the trade in Chinese goods. The large Qianlong-period (1736–1795) tureen in the form of Budai laughing is another favourite. Imagine what an impression he made when carried into a palatial European dining room on his matching platter. And the Wanli-period (1573–1620) carved marble angel is a remarkable example of the intersection of Christian and Chinese cultures. The Chinese carver executed a classic Renaissance-style angel who rises from quintessentially Chinese swirling waves, just like those along the hem of a dragon robe.
All photos by Nikolai Nehk and courtesy of the Alburquerque Foundation.