Portugal's most important modern collection
Portuguese movements across the twentieth century alongside international work.
João Carvalho — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pedro from Lisboa, Portugal — CC BY 2.0 · Pedro from Lisboa, Portugal — CC BY 2.0
The modern and contemporary art centre of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in the same gardens as the well-known Gulbenkian Museum but a separate institution with its own building and ticket. The distinction between them matters and is worth noting: the Gulbenkian Museum shows the private collection assembled by the Armenian businessman Calouste Gulbenkian — older art from Egypt, Persia, the East and Europe. This centre shows Portuguese and international art from the twentieth century to the present. The collection is the most important of its kind in Portugal for modern art, covering Portuguese movements across the twentieth century alongside international work. The building reopened after a major renovation that added a long timber canopy and a redesigned garden. The surrounding gardens are free and open, among the calmest green spaces in Lisbon and worth sitting in for their own sake. Access is direct by metro.
Portuguese movements across the twentieth century alongside international work.
A long timber canopy and a redesigned garden from a major renovation.
Among the calmest green spaces in Lisbon, worth sitting in for their own sake.
Gulbenkian Foundation gardens, north of central Lisbon
The Calouste Gulbenkian MuseumThe Gulbenkian is Europe's purest private collection: Calouste Gulbenkian — the 2 minutes walk4.8
Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-MuseumA house museum in an early twentieth-century villa on Avenida 5 de Outubro, whos9 minutes walk4.5
Parque Eduardo VIIThe largest park in central Lisbon, running uphill from the Marquês de Pombal sq10 minutes walk4.5
Lisbon ZooLisbon's zoo, among the oldest in Europe, dating to 1884, on a large site north-20 minutes walk4.4
National Society of Fine ArtsAn arts institution founded in the nineteenth century and still operating, in a 21 minutes walk4.5The Gulbenkian Museum shows the private collection Calouste Gulbenkian assembled: Egyptian, Persian, Islamic and older European art, with a strong Islamic room of particular interest to Arab visitors. This centre is devoted to modern and contemporary work. If you have one day and care about older or Islamic art, the museum comes first.
Yes if you plan to see both, and they sit in the same gardens so no travel is needed between them. Ask about it when buying the first ticket, since two separate tickets cost more.