The Chiado Building, an interesting example of architecture using iron, was inaugurated in 1910. Since 2001 it has been the home of the art collection donated to the city by the Telo de Morais family.
The permanent exhibition consists of an important collection of Portuguese painting from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as ceramics, sculpture, silverware and pieces of furniture. There are also two temporary exhibition galleries, where well-known artists, such as Graça Morais, Álvaro Siza, Cruzeiro Seixas and Gil Teixeira Lopes, have exhibited their work. The Chiado Building belongs to the Municipal Museum, overseen by the Department of Culture of the Municipal Council of Coimbra and aims to research, understand and promote the themes relating to the museological groups and their collections.
The Museum also aims to promote the historical and artistic heritage of the city of Coimbra and to instigate understanding of its worth as well as to make the public aware of the benefits of preserving it.