President Jorge Sampaio commissioned painter Paula Rego for a series of paintings to decorate the walls of the Palace chapel in 2002. The painter eventually gave her works entitled ""Ciclo da Vida da Virgem Maria e da Paixão de Jesus Cristo"" ("Cycle of Life of the Virgin Mary and the Passion of Jesus Christ"". The early exhibitions and Presidential initiatives would lead to the inauguration on 5 October 2004 of the Presidential Museum (). Similarly, the "King D. Luís I Painting Gallery" was the setting for the 2005 exposition, "Do Palácio de Belém", which presented the history of the palace and its architecture, as well as an overview of artistic works that have been displayed there.