Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Disembarking Encore, we headed to the nearest metro stop … at the Santa Apolónia Train Station … less than a 10-minute walk from the cruise terminal. We were happy to see that the metro system accepted Apple/Samsung Pay as we did not have to fiddle with getting tickets or passes.

As it turns out, Santa Apólonia is the end of the blue line … the route we needed to take to get to the museum … all easy peasy. Seven stops later, we were getting off the metro at San Sebastião. Another 10-minute or so walk found us entering the park like setting in which the entities that are part of Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian are located.

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is named for an Armenian art collector. Born in İstanbul — more specifically in Üsküdar — in 1869, he left the Ottoman Empire in 1896 to settle first in London and then in Lisbon … the latter after WWII broke out. An avid collector, he added to his acquisitions almost until his death in 1955. Among his most important acquisitions — facilitated by the Soviet Government itself — are paintings, sculptures, and silverware from The Hermitage.

He donated his entire collection to the foundation that was established per his last will and testament … with the understanding that everything would be exhibited under one roof. Hence was born in 1969 the museum that bears his name. Today, under the umbrella of the foundation are several other entities, including an amphitheater, an auditorium, an art library, and a Centro de Arte Moderna.

In addition to the permanent Gulbenkian collection, there are temporary exhibits hosted at both of the museums. Admission is charged accordingly. We opted for the ticket for the two permanent collections. In hindsight, this was a smart move as we really didn’t have time for any of the temporary exhibits.

The diverse and eclectic Gulbenkian collection — consisting of about 6,000 pieces — is said to be quite unique in the world. I would have to agree with that. On display was everything from clay fragments and statues of antiquity; to carpets; to silks and velvets and tiles from Ottoman Türkiye; to glassware from the Mamluks and porcelains from Chinese dynasties; to European furnishings and tapestries; to paintings by renowned names such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Degas, and Monet; to sculptures by Rodin; to jewelry by Lalique.

I took three hours to go through the 11 galleries … and managed that time frame only because I paid less attention to some galleries than I did to others. Good thing I had a power bank in my bag as I ran down the battery on my phone with all the photos I took. So many photos, in fact, that it was quite difficult to select which 20 to include in this footprint!Read more