The collections of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum will become itinerant and take art to various points of the country in an initiative that intends to reinforce the presence of the foundation out of doors and that starts on Saturday in Bragança.
‘Gulbenkian Itinerant’ is the name of the initiative that, until 2020, will share with various locations from north to south of Portugal the artistic program of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation with exhibitions of works of art, as well as the program of concerts by the Choir and Orchestra of this institution.
The initiative kicks off with the ‘Corpo e Paisagem’ exhibition on Saturday at the Graça Morais Contemporary Art Center in Bragança and at the Miguel Torga Space in Sabrosa (Vila Real).
According to the foundation, “a wide selection of works assembled under the title Body and Landscape”, which brings together “works of the Modern Collection and pieces acquired by Calouste Gulbenkian from sources as diverse as Syria, Turkey or Japan. ”
Among the artists represented in the two spaces are names like Almada Negreiros, Paula Rego, Alberto Carneiro, Ana Vidigal, António Areal, Antony Gormley, Costa Pinheiro, Helena Almeida, João Queiroz, Lourdes Castro, Manuel Botelho, Mário Eloy, Menez, Miguel Palma , Rui Chafes, Stanislas Lépine and Thomas Weinberger.
The curator of these shows is the director of the Contemporary Art Center of Bragança, Jorge da Costa, who also prepared the contents of the nucleus that will be presented later in April at the Contemporary Culture Center of Castelo Branco.
Jorge da Costa compares this initiative of the foundation in partnership with local institutions to the “emblematic program of itinerant libraries“, since it allows “other audiences, from north to south of the country, to have access to the collection of the Gulbenkian Museum.”
The curator of some of the programmed exhibitions underlines the “dialogue established between a significant number of museums“, capable of “potentiating future projects in a network“.
Jorge da Costa also highlights the opportunity offered to the public in the region, “recognizing the Gulbenkian brand“, to get in touch with “one of the most systematic sets of modern and contemporary Portuguese art works” and “one of the most important private collections of international art. ”
The purpose of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is to “systematically display its works of art throughout the country by widening the public access to the collections of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum”, particularly in regions farthest from the major centers and where there are cultural facilities to welcome this collection, such as told the deputy director of the Gulbenkian Museum, Nuno Vassallo e Silva.
The deputy director of the museum stressed that this is not a “package that goes everywhere,” but “dynamic partnerships with the concern always to respond to local audiences.”
Until February 2020, the first six locations that will host works of the museum are Bragança, Sabrosa, Castelo Branco, Portimão, Sines and Tavira.
In Bragança and Sabrosa, the exhibition ‘Corpo e Paisagem’ opens Saturday and lasts until March 24.
From December 8, the Museum of Portimão presents the exhibition ‘Places, Landscapes, Travel’, also based, according to the promoters, “in a judicious choice of works from the collections of the Gulbenkian Museum.”
The director of the Museum of Portimão, José Gameiro, speaks of an “inspiring partnership” also “potenciadora of a desirable and stimulating dialogue between cultural institutions“.
He also applauded the path of “continued decentralization” of the Gulbenkian Foundation, also highlighting the “salutary co-operation” started with this exhibition, which will run until March 03.
On March 16, another exhibition comes to the Arts Center of Sines, remaining until June 9.
The inauguration of the show at the Center for Contemporary Culture of Castelo Branco, which can be visited until July 28, follows on April 6.
The Gallery Palace, in Tavira, closes this cycle with an exhibition from November 23, 2019 to February 23, 2020.
