Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon is named after the man who left his art collection to the Portuguese state. He was an Armenian oil magnate who played a major role in making the oil resources in the Middle East accessible. It made him very rich. Until 1942 he lived in France, but when the Germans also occupied the southern part of that country, he fled to Portugal. Calouste Gulbenkian lived there until his death in 1955.

The collection consists of artefacts from Egypt, Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, Islamic art, Asian art and masterpieces by European painters. The golden mummy mask in the Egyptian room is one of the highlights of this museum. You will also see ancient Greek and Roman coins and statues, Chinese porcelain, Japanese drawings and Persian carpets from the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the paintings department, almost all styles of art from the 15th century onwards are represented. There are works by the Venetian master Francesco Guardi as well as pieces by Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and others. Don't forget the beautiful collection of art-nouveau jewelry. The museum is very diverse and for art lovers one of the recommended sights in Lisbon.

On Sundays there are regular concerts in the library.