t Exhibits within the museum’s extensive Modern Collection
Thanks to wealthy Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian’s wide-ranging tastes and his eye for a masterpiece, this museum has one of the finest collections of art in Europe.
t Exhibits within the museum’s extensive Modern Collection
The museum’s works are split across two separately housed collections, linked by a serene stretch of urban park. The Founder’s Collection – Gulbenkian’s personal pieces – sits within a purpose-built museum dating from 1969, with varied exhibits ranging from ancient Egyptian statuettes to an astonishing array of René Lalique Art Nouveau jewellery. South of the gardens stands the Modern Collection, widely considered to be the world’s most complete collection of modern Portuguese art. Standard tickets allow access to both collections, while the sculpture-dotted gardens can be explored free of charge.
Experience Beyond the Centre
Born in Scutari in 1869, Gulbenkian started his art collection at the age of 14, when he bought some ancient coins in a bazaar. In 1928, he was granted a 5 per cent stake in four major oil companies, earning himself the nickname “Mr Five Per Cent”. With the wealth he accumulated, Gulbenkian was able to indulge his love of fine art. During World War II, he went to live in neutral Portugal, and bequeathed his estate to his adopted nation upon his death in 1955.
The approximate number of artworks Gulbenkian amassed in his personal collection.
Ranking alongside the Museu de Arte Antiga as the finest museum in Portugal, the Founder’s Collection exhibits, which span over 4,000 years from ancient Egyptian figurines, through translucent Islamic glassware, to Art Nouveau brooches, are displayed in spacious and well-lit galleries, many overlooking the gardens or courtyards. Although the museum is not large, each work of art is worthy of attention.
In the Egyptian, Classical and Mesopotamian gallery priceless treasures chart the evolution of Egyptian art from the Old Kingdom (c 2700 BC) to the Roman Period (from the 1st century BC). Outstanding pieces in the Classical art section include a magnificent redfigure Greek vase, and a Roman satyr’s head from the 2nd century AD.
The museum’s Eastern art is also remarkable. Being Armenian, Gulbenkian had a keen interest in works from the Near and Middle East, resulting in a fine collection of Persian and Turkish carpets, textiles, costumes and ceramics in the Oriental Islamic gallery. In terms of Far Eastern pieces, there is a large collection of Chinese porcelain acquired by Gulbenkian between 1907 and 1947. One of the rarest pieces is a small blue-glazed bowl from the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368).
The carefully plotted route around the museum ends with a room filled with the flamboyant Art Nouveau creations of French jeweller René Lalique (1860–1945). Gulbenkian was a close friend of Lalique’s and acquired many of the pieces on display directly from the artist. Inlaid with semiprecious stones and covered with enamel or gold leaf, the ornate collection constitutes a spectacular finish to this unique and incredibly diverse museum.
t The spacious galleries of the Founder’s Collection.
Experience Beyond the Centre
St Catherine
A serene 15th-century bust, painted by the Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden.
Boy Blowing Bubbles
Édouard Manet’s 1867 painting considers the transience of life and art.
Yuan Dynasty Stem Cup
This blue-glazed piece is decorated with delicate reliefs of Taoist figures under bamboo leaves.
Diana Statue
A graceful marble statue, once owned by Catherine the Great and considered too obscene to exhibit.
Ancient Greek Vase
This 5th century BC vase is adorned with mythological motifs.
The Modern Collection lies across the gardens from the Founder’s Collection and is part of the same cultural foundation. It is housed in a large, light-filled building, designed by architect Sir Leslie Martin in 1983.
The permanent collection features over 10,000 works, with an emphasis on paintings and sculpture by Portuguese artists from the turn of the 20th century to the present day. Perhaps the most famous painting is the striking portrait of poet Fernando Pessoa in the Café Irmãos Unidos (1964) by José de Almada Negreiros (1893–1970), a leading exponent of Portuguese Modernism. The oil painting was commissioned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and intended to replicate a similar portrait that Almada had produced for the café itself.
Also of interest are paintings by Eduardo Viana (1881–1967), Amadeo de Sousa Cardoso (1887–1910) and contemporary artists such as Rui Sanches, Graça Morais, Teresa Magalhães and – perhaps the best known – Paula Rego. Rego settled in London in the mid-1970s, but she has long been hailed in Portugal as one of the nation’s greatest living artists. Her work often contains elements of magical realism, although later works have gradually tended towards more realistic renderings.
Within the international collection are works by big hitters such as David Hockney and British sculptor Antony Gormley (renowned for his Angel of the North sculpture in Gateshead, England).
As well as the exhibition space, which comprises three linked galleries, there is also an events area, a busy café and a museum bookshop.
Paula Rego’s pieces have fetched up to £1.1 million at auction, a record for a Portuguese artist.