Museum
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum is a museum in Avenidas Novas, Portugal. 105 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Jean Baptiste Camille Corot and Edgar Degas.
About Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Lisbon's Calouste Gulbenkian Museum houses one of the world's most important private art collections. It includes works from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century, spanning the arts of the Islamic World, China and Japan, as well as French decorative arts. It also features the jewellery of René Lalique and works by some of the most important painters of all time, such as Rembrandt, Monet, Rubens, Manet, Renoir, Degas and Turner. The Museum was founded by Armenian Portugal-based oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian. "The Gulbenkian Museum is closed for renovation until July 2026."
Overview
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum houses the extensive private art collection of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, one of the largest private art collections in Europe. The museum is part of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal. The permanent exhibition is distributed chronologically and geographically, creating two independent circuits for visitors.
The collection spans ancient to modern art, with a particular emphasis on French 18th-century decorative arts and Venetian paintings.
Building & Architecture
The museum and headquarters were designed with a relatively simple shape, featuring T-shaped wings, each with an entrance. The building was designed by a British architect. Construction began with earthworks and retaining walls in 1962, following a competition launched in 1959.
The property was distinguished with the Valmor Prize in 1975. The museum was specifically designed as a showcase for the collection, a relatively unique approach at the time when most museums were housed in buildings originally built for other purposes.
Collection Highlights
The museum's collection includes outstanding French 18th-century decorative art, featuring gold and silver objects, furniture, paintings, and sculptures. A significant group of paintings by Venetian artists is also exhibited. The collection also encompasses works from ancient civilizations, including Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art, as well as Islamic art.
The Gulbenkian's Centro de Arte Moderna (CAM), opened in 1983, actively commissions and collects modern works, now numbering 12,000 pieces.
Significance & Legacy
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum is significant for housing one of the most comprehensive private art collections in Europe, reflecting the diverse tastes of its founder. The opening of the Centro de Arte Moderna (CAM) in 1983 marked it as Portugal's first museum of modern art. The Foundation continues to be active in the Armenian community worldwide, distributing scholarships and grants.
The museum and its park remain a major cultural institution in Lisbon, recognized with the Valmor Prize for its architectural and landscape design.
What to see at Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Start with Holy Family and Donors by Vittore Carpaccio.
See all highlights at Calouste Gulbenkian Museum →Calouste Gulbenkian Museum by the numbers
- Founded
- 1969
Works from Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Holy Family and Donors
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
River landscape with church
Portrait of Lucas Vorsterman
Dutch Landscape
The Wreck of a Transport Ship
View from the Coast of Norway
Italian Park
Ville-d'Avray. - Le chemin de la gare
Portrait of Sara Andriesdr Hessix
Flight into Egypt
Madame Monet Reading Le Figaro
The Bridge at Mantes
Boy blowing bubbles
The Feast of the Ascension in St Mark’s Square
The Loves of the Centaurs
Portrait de Mademoiselle Duplant
Portrait de Thomas Germain et de sa femme Anne-Denise Gauchelet
Mrs. Lowndes-Stone
John Lewis Brown with Wife and Daughter
Portrait de Marianne Pellerin de Plainville, Madame de La Porte
O canal Giudecca e a Igreja de Santa Marta
The Annunciation
The Mirror of Venus
Auto-retrato
Portrait of Lady Elizabeth Conyngham
Bruges
Bust of Saint Joseph
Self portrait
Self-portrait
Self-portrait
The Mirror of Venus.
Bust of the Catherine (?)
Portrait of a Man, ca. 1620-1621
Praia em Portugal
Retrato de Mulher Jovem
Plan your visit
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
- Website
- gulbenkian.pt
Museums near Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
- Cultural Institution Culturgest Lisbon, Portugal
- Art Museum National Museum of Ancient Art Estrela, Portugal
- Art Museum Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla Seville, Spain
- Art Museum Museo Fundación Lerma Toledo, Spain
- National Museum Army Museum Toledo, Spain
- Palace Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
