Gulbenkian– a Landmark in Portuguese Architecture
Conceived from the ground up to house the illustrious Gulbenkian Collection, this architectural masterpiece stands as a beacon of Portuguese modernism. Its story unfolds through meticulous planning and masterful execution, tracing the journey from initial competition to final realization.
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The project demanded a harmonious integration of diverse spaces, encompassing a museum, auditoriums, a library, and the administrative and technical headquarters of the foundation. The chosen site, Parque de Santa Gertrudes in Palhavã, Lisbon, provided the perfect canvas for such an undertaking.
Encircled by a landscape of serene beauty, the museum is enveloped by gardens crafted by renowned landscape architects Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles and António Viana Barreto. Expansive lawns, tranquil pools, and a charming open-air amphitheater compose a setting where art and nature exist in perfect harmony.
The museum itself rises as a monumental parallelepiped, its façade a refined interplay of concrete and granite, achieving a subtle yet striking chromatic balance. Below, a dedicated Temporary Exhibitions Gallery, an intimate auditorium, an art library, and thoughtfully designed public spaces—including a museum shop and a café—extend the experience beyond the galleries.
A defining landmark in Portuguese museum architecture, the Gulbenkian Museum is structured around two verdant courtyards, where expansive windows dissolve the boundary between art and the natural world. A testament to the avant-garde architectural movements of the 1960s, the complex was honored with the Valmor Prize for Architecture in 1975 and later designated a National Monument in 2010.
Within its walls, the museum’s permanent exhibition unfolds in two distinct yet interwoven narratives. The first circuit invites visitors to explore the splendors of Eastern and Classical art, encompassing Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian, Eastern Islamic, Armenian, and Far Eastern masterpieces. The second circuit is a voyage through European artistic heritage, offering an exquisite selection of illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts, with a particular emphasis on 18th-century French refinement and the unparalleled creations of René Lalique.
Within its walls, the museum’s permanent exhibition unfolds in two distinct yet interwoven narratives. The first circuit invites visitors to explore the splendors of Eastern and Classical art, encompassing Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian, Eastern Islamic, Armenian, and Far Eastern masterpieces. The second circuit is a voyage through European artistic heritage, offering an exquisite selection of illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts, with a particular emphasis on 18th-century French refinement and the unparalleled creations of René Lalique.
From the delicate intricacies of medieval ivory carvings to the luminous landscapes of Venetian painter Francesco Guardi, from the elegance of 18th-century English portraiture to the breathtaking artistry of Lalique’s glass and jewelry, the museum weaves an unparalleled tapestry of human creativity. Each gallery, a passage through time; each artwork, a whisper of history.
The Gulbenkian Museum stands not only as a repository of artistic genius but as a living homage to the enduring power of beauty and knowledge.
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