On 5 August 2026, Comendador Anthony Bailey, Hon Consul-General of His Majesty The King of Tonga to the Portuguese Republic, attended the private viewing of Teatro Anatómico at the historic Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon. The exhibition opened to the public on 6 August 2026 and continues until 29 August 2026.
The Consul-General attended at the kind invitation of Sofia Covões, a member of the Covões family whose association with the Coliseu dos Recreios stretches back more than a century. It was a great pleasure to meet Sofia and other members of her family, whose name and history have become closely intertwined with this remarkable Lisbon institution.
The visit also provided an opportunity to discover more of the Coliseu dos Recreios, one of the great cultural landmarks in the heart of the Portuguese capital. Inaugurated on 14 August 1890, the Coliseu was conceived as a major popular performance venue and has played an important role in the cultural life of Lisbon for more than 135 years.
The Covões family’s association with the Coliseu dates from the early decades of the 20th century. Ricardo Covões assumed a leading role in the institution during the 1920s, beginning a family connection with the Coliseu that has continued through successive generations.
Architecturally innovative for its time, the Coliseu is distinguished by its spectacular iron dome and imposing façade. Over the decades, its stage has welcomed opera, orchestras, concerts, theatre, circus and countless Portuguese and international performers, making it one of the best-known and most enduring venues in the cultural history of the Portuguese capital.
The opportunity to visit this remarkable cultural centre, situated in the historic Rua das Portas de Santo Antão close to Rossio, provided an additional dimension to an evening dedicated to the connections between culture, science, history and contemporary artistic expression.
Teatro Anatómico brought together heritage, science and contemporary art, creating a dialogue between the historic collections of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL), which celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2026, and new artistic works developed within biomedical research environments.
Curated by Marta de Menezes, an internationally recognised pioneer in bioart and artistic research, and Manuel Valente Alves, artist and specialist in the history of medicine and the city, the exhibition explored the concept of “One Health” and the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health.
The exhibition brought together works by Amy Pilling, Ana Ventura, Andrew Carnie, André Araújo, Anna Isaak-Ross, António Caramelo, Ânia Pais, Carla Rebelo, Crystal Kershaw, Erich Berger, Maria Manuela Lopes, Marta de Menezes, Nuno Sousa, Sally Santiago and Sérgio Eliseu, alongside works from the Cultivamos Cultura Collection and objects from the Anatomy Collection and Historical Archive of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. Several works were developed through artistic residencies at Ectopia.
The project was developed through a partnership between Ectopia, the Coliseu dos Recreios, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon and the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM).
The themes explored by Teatro Anatómico have particular resonance for the Kingdom of Tonga, where the relationship between human wellbeing, the natural environment and the ocean is of fundamental importance. As a Pacific large ocean state, Tonga has consistently highlighted the close connections between environmental health, biodiversity, climate resilience and the wellbeing of its communities.
The Consulate-General welcomes opportunities to engage with Portuguese cultural, scientific and academic institutions and to promote greater dialogue and exchange in areas of shared interest between Tonga and Portugal.
Official links and social media
Coliseu dos Recreios
Facebook: Coliseu dos Recreios
Website: coliseulisboa.com
Cultivamos Cultura
Website: cultivamoscultura.com
Instagram: @cultivamoscultura
Facebook: Cultivamos Cultura
Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon (FMUL)
Website: medicina.ulisboa.pt
Instagram: @faculdademedicina.ulisboa
Facebook: Faculdade de Medicina ULisboa
LinkedIn: Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa
Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM)
Website: gimm.pt
Instagram: @anthonybaileyeu
#TongaPortugal #Lisbon #TeatroAnatómico #CulturalDiplomacy #ColiseudosRecreios
