The Secretary of State also said that, in the future, there will be more concessions under the Revive Program, although the conditions are not yet fully defined.
Ângela Ferreira signed an order in January that states that “the assignment can be made as long as the technical and security conditions for its installation in the museum nucleus are ensured” planned for the hotel that the Vila Galé group is installing at the Alter do Coudelaria Chão, in the district of Portalegre.
At issue is the 25-year lease to the Vila Galé group of around 50 pieces of the so-called Rainer Daehnhardt Collection, belonging to the State, for the installation of a museum center in a building that the hotel company is converting into a hotel, within the scope of of the Revive Program.
Information on the transfer of public works of art to a private entity was revealed last week by the parliamentary group of the PCP, in a request to request a hearing from the Minister of Culture, Graça Fonseca, on the subject.
For the PCP, the situation is “very serious for what it is in itself and for the serious precedent” that can “constitute the appropriation of public assets for private purposes”, the request reads.
Ângela Ferreira explained to Lusa that technicians from the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) have already been to the construction site to determine the conditions under which the pieces in the collection may be exhibited; there will still have to be a final visit and only afterwards will authorization be given.
According to the Secretary of State, the museum center in the Alter Stud Hotel will be open to the public and “on departure without paying” entrance ticket: “There was no evaluation of any type of financial contribution in relation to the collection visit”.
Asked about a possible privatization of public works of art for hotel purposes, Ângela Ferreira stressed that “the works are still under State heritage, from where they will never leave”.
“There is a temporary assignment to Hotel Vila Galé on terms that the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage determines,” Ângela Ferreira told Lusa today.
According to information available on the official website of the Revive Program, the total investment for the renovation of the Alter Stud building, for a hotel, is estimated at eight million euros and the start of hotel operations is expected “until the last quarter. 2020 “.
The building concession contract made between the State and the Vila Galé group is for 50 years.
In conjunction with the hotel’s museum nucleus, another museum space will operate in the vicinity, the Stud Farm Interpretative Center, which is the responsibility of Companhia das Lezírias, which will feature 15 other works of art.
“We are going to have an exhibition tour of a collection that is once again available to the public in Alter do Chão, where it has always been, and under conditions of a museum project”, said the Secretary of State.
The art collection in question, linked to the equestrian theme, includes spurs, saddles and “small pieces”. It has been under the jurisdiction of the DGPC since 2018 and kept in reserve at the National Coach Museum, in Lisbon.
The works “were transported from Alter do Chão to the Coach Museum, where disinfestation, inventorying, some restoration works were carried out, but they were never exhibited. This collection remains in the Coach Museum in reserve and never been made. type of exposure, “said Ângela Ferreira.
Contacted by the Lusa agency, the Mayor of Alter do Chão, Francisco Reis, said that “part of the Rainer Daehnhardt Collection is in the Coach Museum, other pieces are in the custody of the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and others in the custody of the Company das Lezírias, at the Coudelaria de Alter “.
According to Ângela Ferreira, in the future there will be more assignments of works of art from the State collection, within the scope of the Revive Program, whose conditions are not yet fully defined.
“Concessionaires will be allowed to make temporary exhibitions of these works in their tourism enterprise, provided that all the necessary technical conditions for this type of exhibition are ensured. It is not the concessionaire who chooses the works of art, it is the DGPC. (…) After the exhibition, the collection, these paintings will return to the physical possession of the DGPC “, he exemplified.
The Revive program is a joint initiative of the Ministries of Economy, Culture and Finance to “promote the requalification and subsequent tourist use of a set of State properties with architectural, heritage, historical and cultural value that are not being properly enjoyed by the community”.
On January 8, the Minister of Culture, Graça Fonseca, revealed that “the concession contracts signed under the joint Revive program will now include a budget for the acquisition of contemporary works of art”.
The acquired works will be included in the collection of the Contemporary Art Collection of the State and “a real circulation in the territory will be promoted”, for the exhibition of these works, indicated the minister.
Ângela Ferreira said today that it is yet to be determined what percentage of the income to be charged to concessionary entities, for the acquisition of works of art for the State.
Last week, the Ministry of Culture appointed manager Bernardo Alabaça as the new director-general of Cultural Heritage, replacing Paula Araújo da Silva. Bernardo Alabaça’s team will take office on Monday, the 24th.
According to the Government, the change in the DGPC is part of the “implementation of a new cycle of public policies for cultural heritage and the arts” and which will include, for example, the constitution of the fund for the rehabilitation of heritage are emblematic of this priority strategic.
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