Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, or the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, is a museum created from a love of collecting. The collector, Calouste Gulbenkian, put together an eclectic, amazing and truly vast collection of treasures that are now all a part of the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. For any art lover this museum is an important stop when in Portugal. You will be amazed and often find yourself in awe over the pieces here and how unique and interesting the overall collection actually is.

One of the Greatest Collectors Ever

The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is the work of Calouste Gulbenkian. He was a wealthy man that had a simple love of collecting unique items. His collection grew as he started traveling and becoming fascinated with other countries. He had an appreciation for fine art that shows through in his collection.

He spent most of his life in the petroleum industry in the Middle East. This started off his collection with plenty of nice Islamic pieces. Eventually he moved to Lisbon in 1942 and simply felt at home in Portugal. He decided that after years of collecting that it was time to share his collection with others. He donated many of his most prized pieces to the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.

That was not enough. Gulbenkian wanted his whole collection to be together under one roof, on display for the public. In 1956, the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian was created and all his collection now was under one roof on display.

The Foundation

The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is part of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The Foundation was created in his will. It serves as a very influential art council. The foundation donates funds to help with all aspects of the arts from social change to education. The foundation even has expanded. It has a branch in the UK which works to promote Portuguese culture in that area through art. The foundation continues to help support museums and galleries as well in the hopes that it will continue to help stimulate people and keep the interest in art ever growing, which is exactly what Gulbenkian wanted.

The Museum

The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian Was restored and brought up to modern standards in 2001. During that time many of the pieces from the museum made their way across the ocean to be on display in the New York Metropolitan Museum. The renovation gave the museum a fresh look and has helped get it extremely organized.

The first part of the museum features classical and oriental pieces. Here you will find Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Armenian and eastern Islamic type pieces. There are a lot of exotic pieces and many interesting find in this part.

The second part of the museum features an emphasis on 18th century French works, particularly those by Rene Lalique. There are sculptures, painting, and decorative arts in this area. You will see an Egyptian mummy mask, a bowl made of alabaster that is 2700 years old and bronze pieces. See Chinese porcelain, tapestries and old coins here as well.

The European section of the museum is quite extensive. There are pieces by Rembrandt, Pete Paul Rubens, Claude Monet, Van Dyck and Pierre-Ausguste Renoir. Not only are there paintings, but also furniture and textiles. Other treasures here include a Jean Antonie Houdon white marble statue of Diana, silver that was used by Catherine the Great and jewelry by Rene Lalique that is priceless and that is one of a kind.

Words simply can not describe the beauty and the intrigue of the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. You have to see it and experience it yourself. It is really amazing how one man could collect so many treasures. The museum really does let you see inside the man behind it. You get a feeling for his vision, his taste and his dedication to art. It is a unique experience to say the least. If you are interested in art then this is a must see. Even if you are not quite interested in art, you will still want to stop in because the collection at the museum is truly amazing. Even someone without much eye for art will find an appreciation after a visit to the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian.