#132 - Gulbenkian Series X

#131 - Gulbenkian Series IX

#130 - Gulbenkian Series VIII

#129 - Gulbenkian Series VII

#128 - Gulbenkian Series VI

Museum

The Building

"The project for the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Museum, inaugurated in 1969, was the result of a limited competition that took place from, 1959 to 1960 between three teams of architects. The ambitious and detailed specifications being based on the presupposition that the new building was to serve as “a perpetual homage to the memory of Calouste Gulbenkian, and its lines were to reflect the essential features of his character – concentrated spirituality, creative force and simplicity of life”. The project had to take into consideration various types of installations to house the museum, auditoriums and library and also the administrative and technical services of the foundation. The site chosen was the Parque de Santa Gertrudes in Palhavã, Lisbon (the present site).

From the three solutions jointly presented that of the team made up of the architects Ruy Jervis d’Athouguia, Pedro Cid and Alberto Pessoa was selected as fulfilling the requirements of the commission to produce a sober, dignified building in a unified architectural setting. A large number of specialists in various areas worked on the project co-ordinated by the winning team. The remaining two projects were by an architectural team made up of Arnaldo Araújo, Frederico George and Manuel Laginha, and the other by Formosinho Sanches, Arménio Losa and Pádua Ramos.

The existing architectural ensemble, simple in line with different areas ably linked together, is surrounded by a green area designed by the landscape architects Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles and António Viana Barreto, with lawns, trees, pools and even an open-air amphitheatre. The exterior or the museum is like a massive rectangular parallelepiped set on one of its longer sides where the use of concrete and granite creates a mellow chromatic equilibrium. Planned in relation to each object collected by Calouste Gulbenkian, on the lower floor it has a Temporary Exhibition Gallery, a small auditorium, a museum shop and cafeteria as well as the Art Library. A defining mark in Portuguese museum architecture, the edifice of the Museum is organised round two gardens with numerous tall picture windows that enable the visitor to enjoy Nature and Art. A noteworthy example of the latest trends in modern Portuguese architecture of the 1960s, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was awarded the Valmor Prize for Architecture, in 1975. " [*]

#127 - Gulbenkian Series V

One of the many things I learned in blogs is that there is always a different duckling.
Different doesn't mean ugly, as ever learned by the stories.
Indeed in my point of view, is the difference that makes everything more interesting.

#126 - Gulbenkian Series IV

#125 - Gulbenkian Series III

"A comprehensive collection of contemporary art and sculpture has also been acquired over the years, mainly Portuguese but with some works by British artists. This is housed in the José de Azeredo Perdigão Modern Art Centre.Modern Art Centre was opened in 1983 in southern part of the Gulbenkian Park. Ten years later, as a tribute to the Chairman of the Foundation's first Board, it was renamed the José de Azeredo Perdigão Modern Art Centre (CAMJAP).

The CAMJAP building consists of two separate sections: the Modern Art Museum, which comprises three interconnected galleries, and a space for cultural events, including a multi-purpose room for events and meetings. A reception hall with a cafeteria and bookshop links these premises." [*]

#124 - Gulbenkian Series II

#123 - Gulbenkian Series I

Gulbenkian's park.

"The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese private institution of public utility whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts, charity, education and science. Created by a clause in Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian's will, the Foundation's statutes were approved in 1956.The head-office is located in Lisbon. The large premises, opened in 1969, comprise the head-office itself and the museum. In addition to the areas occupied by the Foundation's management and various departments, the premises include a large auditorium, a space for temporary exhibitions, a congress area with auditoriums and other rooms, as well as a large building that houses the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Art Library. The entire complex is set in the Gulbenkian Park. In 1983, the Modern Art Centre, consisting of a museum and an education centre, was opened at one end of the park. The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência is situated inside a multi-building complex in Oeiras. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation also has a delegation in the United Kingdom (UK Branch) and a centre in Paris (the Calouste Gulbenkian Cultural Centre).

The Foundation actively pursues its statutory aims in Portugal and abroad through a wide range of direct activities and grants supporting projects and programmes.The Foundation has an orchestra and a choir that perform throughout the year within a regular season, and organises solo and collective exhibitions of work by Portuguese and foreign artists. It also organises international conferences, meetings and courses, awards subsidies and scholarships for specialist studies and doctorates in Portugal and abroad, and supports programmes and projects of a scientific, educational, artistic and social nature. Moreover, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is actively involved in publishing, especially through its programme for university textbooks. It also fosters co-operation projects with Portuguese-speaking African countries and East Timor pursuing the Millennium goals, promotes Portuguese culture abroad, and operates a programme to preserve evidence of the Portuguese presence in the world. In addition, the Foundation supports Armenian communities worldwide." [*]