2019 sees celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Calouste Gulbenkian as well as the 50th anniversary of the opening doors to the public of the Calouste Gulbenkian Headquarters and Museum (which includes the Art Library). The Museum and Library only exist thanks to the collections carefully built up by Calouste Gulbenkian, who was renowned for seeking out “only the best”.

This conference seeks to reach beyond biographic episodes of the collector and consider him within the framework of a broader context. With six panels and a round table that brings together a range of national and international specialists, this conference extends over two days. The first day features a focus on the world of collectors, their networks of knowledge and the relationships they established with their collections, explored through how their behaviours reflected the periods in which they lived. Jonathan Conlin, Inge Reist (The Frick Collection, New York) and Magdalena Bialonowska (Royal Castle in Warsaw – Museum) are some of the guest specialists approaching these themes.

In turn, the second day is dedicated to the role performed by museums, agents and intermediaries and the markets with contributions coming from guest speakers such as Eloise Donnelly (British Museum, in London) and Francesco Lovino (Center for Early Medieval Studies, in Brno), among many others.

Program available at: gulbenkian.pt/museu/