The works from the MNSR painting collection O SONHO (1895) and ESTUDO PARA PSYCHÉ (c. 1891), by Veloso Salgado, are part of the exhibition “Veloso Salgado de Lisboa a Wissant. Itinerary of a Portuguese painter”, on display at the Musée de Boulogne-sur-mer from 2 July to 4 December. Organized with the collaboration of the Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the French Institute, the exhibition is part of the Temporada Cruzada Portugal-França initiative.
The selection of works reflects the Portuguese-French artistic exchange of the 19th century, resulting from the state scholarship awarded to Portuguese painters to continue studying at the Ecole des Beaux-arts, in Paris. Veloso Salgado not only frequented the effervescent studios of Parisian artists, but also drew inspiration from extended stays in the Brittany region and in Wissant, on the coast of Pas-de Calais.
On his return to Portugal and the landscape of Colares, Veloso Salgado paints O SONHO and recovers the theme of the woods and female figures similar to Musas. The painting entered the MNSR collection in 1951, as a legacy from Adelina de Oliveira Nogueira Pinto.