Museo Calouste Gulbenkian

History books tend to describe events on a macro level. It is easy to lose sight of the impact of world events on single individuals.

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was of Armenian origin. 

Born in 1896 in Üsküdar, in the middle of the Ottoman Empire, he had to leave Turkey with his family to escape the genocide of the Armenian people.  

A brief period in Cairo was followed by a few years in London, where he became a British citizen before relocating again, this time to Paris. 

In Paris, Gulbenkian bought a small palace, and planned on settling down. 

When the Second World War broke out, Gulbenkian decided that it was better to relocate to Lisbon, farther away from the areas worst afflicted by the war. International geopolitical events helped to shape his path through the world.  

Regardless of where he lived, he continued to pursue his interest in art. Because of his heritage and complex history, he had a particular interest in art that reflected the intersection of different cultures, where religion and art had become intertwined.

This resulted in a collection that was both eclectic and refined, totalling over 6,000 pieces from places all over the world, including ancient Egypt, Armenia, Persia, Europe and Japan. 

Visitors to the museum will recognize artworks by some of the most prominent masters of art history, including Carpaccio, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Manet, Degas, and Monet.

One of Gulbenkian’s personal favourites was the marble sculpture of Houdori’s Diana, which had previously belonged to Catherine of Russia (and which he bought from the Hermitage Museum in 1930).

Initially as a strategy to avoid paying taxes, he created a “Gulbenkian Institute” for his art, but soon, due to the general turmoil in the world, he was declared an “enemy under the act” by the British government. 

This was because he had followed the French government to the Vichy region, and for many years after, he was involved in many complicated negotiations regarding ownership of his companies and art collections. 

After his death, the entire collection was brought to Portugal, where it was exhibited at the Palaces of the Marquises of Pombai for a few years in the late 1960s, before the new museum building was officially opened to the public.

The museum, located in the north part of the Gulbenkian garden, is today one of the most famous architectural statements of modern Portugal. 

Inaugurated in 1969, it was designed by three teams of architects – led by Ruy Jervis Athouguia, Pedro Cid and Alberto Pessoa – and it was built specifically to house the vast and exclusive Gulbenkian collection.

The museum is particularly well-known for how the flow of light enhances the artworks and craft objects of display – the mirroring of lighting in the wooden floor and the tall windows that look out on the surrounding gardens, contrasted with the use of concrete and granite in ceilings and walls.

It was awarded the Valmor Prize for Architecture in 1974, and in 2010 it was classified as a national monument.

Museum Calouste Gulbenkian

Lisbon, Portugal