Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

NileGuide Expert tip:

Remember to visit the museum's tranquil gardens after your tour.

Description:

• The rather brutal concrete exterior of this world-class museum belies the extraordinary wealth of treasure found within. The collection of art numbers one of the finest in Europe, bequeathed to Portugal by Armenian multimillionaire oil magnate and philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian (1869-1955). Over 4,000 years of Western and Eastern art is equally represented and displayed in useful chronological order. A tour of the museum begins with Egyptian, classical and Mesopotamian art where star exhibits include an outstanding 5th-century BC Greek vase. Rare Persian carpets decorate the Oriental Islamic gallery and beautiful Chinese porcelain form part of the Far Eastern Art collection. The section on Western art spans the 14th-19th centuries and houses among other priceless pieces paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Turner and Monet, French silverware and tapestry and a whole room devoted to the French Art Nouveau jeweller René Lalique. The building is set in an attractive park, a green space that offers peaceful respite from the surrounding urban clamour. © NileGuide2011
• © NileGuide2012