Visit the Founder’s Collection and Modern Collection at Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

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Experience an interactive visit to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Founder’s Collection

The building that houses the Founder’s Collection was designed by the architects Ruy Jervis d’Athouguia, Pedro Cid and Alberto Pessoa (1969) to accommodate around six thousand pieces amassed by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian. It is located in the north of the Gulbenkian garden.

The galleries of this building are home to displays of around a thousand pieces divided into groups corresponding to Egyptian art, Greco-Roman art, Mesopotamia, the Islamic Orient, Armenia, the Far East and, where Western art is concerned, sculpture, the art of the book, painting, eighteenth-century French decorative arts, and works by René Lalique. The collection of works by René Lalique, which Calouste Gulbenkian purchased directly from the artist, is considered to be unique in the world for its quality and quantity.

Modern Collection

The Modern Collection dates from the creation of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 1956 and is considered to be the most complete collection of modern Portuguese art in the world. It is housed in a building located in the south of the garden, which was designed by the architect Sir Leslie Martin (1983). This collection also includes significant examples of twentieth-century British art. From Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso to Paula Rego and Vieira da Silva, the Modern Collection features some of the most internationally renowned Portuguese artists and continues to grow as contemporary works of art are added to it through donations and purchases.

Virtual tour