A businessman of Armenian origin, collector, and philanthropist, Calouste Gulbenkian chose Lisbon as the place to spend his final years. With eclectic and discerning taste, he assembled works from different periods and cultures, ranging from Ancient Egypt to French Art Nouveau.

To house this collection of around six thousand pieces, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum opened in 1969, becoming a landmark of Brutalist architecture.

In 2025, the Museum closed for renovation and now reopens with a new presentation of the collection. The project revisits the original layout of the galleries while introducing advanced museographic solutions, carefully designed to enhance the display and interpretation of each work.