At Lisbon’s MAC/CCB, a sweeping exhibition invites visitors into a thoughtful exploration of contemporary art. Entitled May I Help You? – Art and Artists from the 1970s Onward, this dynamic presentation of works by 80 significant Portuguese and international artists feels less like a traditional retrospective and more like an intelligent conversation with the last five decades of art.
In May I Help You?, the exhibition borrows its name from a 1991 performance by American artist Andrea Fraser. In that work, Fraser used the seemingly polite question “Can I help you?” to explore the hidden social rules, hierarchies, and power dynamics of the art world. Here, the phrase becomes both invitation and provocation: What is art for? Who decides its value? And can it still move, challenge, or transform us?
Spanning 127 works by 80 artists, the show draws from three major collections housed at the museum and places Portuguese voices in dialogue with global icons. Visitors will encounter the conceptual rigor of Richard Serra, the politically charged silhouettes of Kara Walker, the poetic minimalism of Helena Almeida, and the bold visual statements of Jeff Koons—among many others. Rather than presenting a single, tidy narrative of contemporary art, the exhibition embraces multiplicity.
The 1970s serve as a starting point—a decade marked by political upheaval, countercultural movements, and the rise of global consumer culture. From there, the exhibition unfolds across painting, sculpture, video, installation, photography, and performance documentation. The layout encourages a fluid, zigzag exploration rather than a linear path, allowing visitors to create their own connections.
- Gabriel Abrantes
- Helena Almeida
- Giovanni Anselmo
- Robert Barry
- Taysir Batniji
- Lothar Baumgarten
- Bernd & Hilla Becher
- Sara Bichão
- Irma Blank
- Alighiero Boetti
- Christian Boltanski
- Olaf Breuning
- Daniel Buren
- Alberto Carneiro
- Gabriel Chaile
- Adriano Costa
- Jim Dine
- Jimmie Durham
- Carla Filipe
- Fischli & Weiss
- Dan Flavin
- Fernanda Fragateiro
- Andrea Fraser
- Gilbert & George
- Simryn Gill
- Fernanda Gomes
- Félix González-Torres
- Dan Graham
- Hans Haacke
- David Hammons
- Ana Hatherly
- Mona Hatoum
- Kiluanji Kia Henda
- Thomas Hirschhorn
- Jenny Holzer
- Rebecca Horn
- Sanja Iveković
- Ana Jotta
- Donald Judd
- Mike Kelley
- Yazan Khalili
- Jeff Koons
- Joseph Kosuth
- Jannis Kounellis
- Barbara Kruger
- Louise Lawler
- Sol LeWitt
- Glenn Ligon
- João Marçal
- Agnes Martin
- Cildo Meireles
- Mario Merz
- Ad Minoliti
- Matt Mullican
- Bruce Nauman
- Senga Nengudi
- Chris Ofili
- Gabriel Orozco
- Damián Ortega
- Pino Pascali
- Silvestre Pestana
- Raymond Pettibon
- Antonio Pichillá
- Sandra Poulson
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Doris Salcedo
- Alan Saret
- Julião Sarmento
- Allan Sekula
- Richard Serra
- Jim Shaw
- Susana Solano
- Haim Steinbach
- Frank Stella
- Wolfgang Tillmans
- Rosemarie Trockel
- João Pedro Vale
- Júlia Ventura
- Vídeo nas Aldeias
- Kara Walker
- Franz West
- Yonamine
- Bruno Zhu
Three thematic threads—Production, Change, and Weaves—guide the experience. Together, they examine how artists respond to power, identity, memory, and materiality. Expect works that are ironic, unsettling, tactile, and at times deeply intimate.
Occupying a vast space on the -1 floor of the CCB, the exhibition opens with striking large-scale installations and invites unhurried discovery. For art lovers and culturally curious travelers alike, May I Help You? offers not just a survey of contemporary art, but a sophisticated reflection on how art mirrors—and questions—the world we inhabit.
For more information, visit the MAC/CCB website.
MAC/CCB
Praça do Império
Belém
Lisbon
Phone: +351 213 612 400
Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday – 10:00 to 18:30 pm, Last entry at 18:00
Closed on Monday
Entrance:
€15 – Adult (discounts for seniors and students)
Includes access to all contemporary art and architecture exhibitions.
Buy online here.
Photo at top: ©António Jorge Silva courtesy of MAC/CCB