Paulo Lourenço in the Art Library collection

• Article /
• 6 min

Haditha, c. 1933: A Pipeline in the Desert

What can a construction yard in the Iraqi desert, on the banks of the Euphrates, tell us about Calouste Gulbenkian? Rediscovered in the storage rooms of the Gulbenkian Art Library, a photograph album from c. 1933, by an unknown photographer, documents the construction of the Iraq Petroleum Company pipeline. Calouste Gulbenkian held a 5% stake in the company.

• Article /
• 15 min

A “giant of concrete and glass”: The history of the Hotel Estoril-Sol

It had 404 rooms, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and works by Maria Keil, Fred Kradolfer and Manuel Lapa. Through photographs by Estúdio Horácio Novais and publications from the photographer’s documentary archive, we revisit the Hotel Estoril-Sol, an icon of 1960s Portuguese architecture, from its opening in 1965 to its demolition in 2007.

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• 5 min

“The Exhibition Next Door”

We revisit the exhibition held alongside the “II Exhibition of Plastic Arts” in 1961, which showed the stage reached in the development of the future Headquarters and Museum of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, then still in the early phases of design.

• Article /
• 7 min

Choosing the Place

Some accounts of the process through which the site for the buildings and gardens of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was selected and acquired – the place where the Centro de Arte Moderna and a new south-facing garden now stand.

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• 12 min

Calouste Gulbenkian Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Centre

The inauguration, on 9 November 1970, of the Calouste Gulbenkian Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Centre marked a milestone not only for children with cerebral palsy and their parents, but also for health and education professionals.

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• 12 min

Fashion in Calouste Gulbenkian’s library

Among the thousands of titles in Calouste Gulbenkian’s library is a collection of books and magazines devoted to fashion, which reveal the Collector’s interest in and attention to the trends of his time.

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• 4 min

Almanacs: measuring time, organising the world

For centuries, almanacs have helped organise time and everyday life, bringing together practical information, astronomical observation and illustrated texts, as seen in two examples from the Calouste Gulbenkian Library.

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• 6 min

“Ode à amizade”

The Art Library celebrates the centenary of the birth of Querubim Lapa (1925-2016) by presenting the book of poems “Ode à amizade” ("Ode to Friendship"), donated by António Reis, which the artist transformed into a unique work by adding drawings and paintings.

• Article /
• 14 min

“I Love destructions in the pursuit of seeking”

In the year marking the centenary of Marcelino Vespeira's birth, we highlight the long and multifaceted relationship between the artist and the Foundation.

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• 4 min

The seal of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Inspired by a Greek coin from Calouste Gulbenkian’s collection, the Foundation’s seal features the quadriga as a symbol of its four statutory purposes: Art, Charity, Science and Education.

• Article /
• 10 min

The Eventful Childhood of Mikaël

The family correspondence held in the Gulbenkian Archives reveals the context of Mikaël’s childhood and the upheavals that led his grandfather, Calouste, to take control of the boy’s education.

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• 13 min

Culture and Revolution

The Revolution of 25 April 1974 marked a historic change in Portugal, initiating a process of political, social and cultural democratization. The idea was to build a fairer, more participatory society, with culture as one of its fundamental instruments.

• Article /
• 6 min

Azeredo Perdigão: a journey to Guinea-Bissau (January 1973)

The Gulbenkian Archives uncover a selection of records concerning the official visit undertaken by Azeredo Perdigão to Guinea-Bissau between 14 and 19 January 1973, at the invitation of General António de Spínola, then Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the overseas Province.

• Article /
• 11 min

The International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industries

The Art Library celebrates the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industries, held in Paris between April and October 1925.

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• 13 min

Support for the acquisition of air ambulances in Angola and Mozambique

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s funding for air ambulances in Angola and Mozambique and how it helped in the creation of the Mozambican Medical Air Service in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century.

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• 15 min

History of Art and Architecture

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• 10 min

I Exhibition of Plastic Arts

The I Exhibition of Plastic Arts, held in Lisbon from 7 to 30 December 1957, was one of the Foundation’s first major events, helping to establish and assert its image as an institution and to create a template for the institution’s work in support for modern and contemporary art in the decades that followed.

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• 8 min

51 Avenue d’Iéna, March 1949

Everyday domestic life in Calouste Gulbenkian’s Paris house in the late 1940s is unexpectedly revealed through the household accounts.

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• 8 min

Waiting for Pina Bausch

In the year marking the 35th anniversary of the first appearance at the Encontros ACARTE of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Company, directed by Pina Bausch, we look back at the participation and influence of this internationally celebrated dancer and choreographer, in and on the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation's programming.

• Article /
• 3 min

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation poster collection

The project to preserve this collection reported here took place between September 2022 and July 2023 and was carried out as part of an internship for the master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration at the Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia of Universidade Nova de Lisboa.