Since it was impossible to open the new Modern Art Centre (MAC) on the year the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation celebrated its 25th birthday, it was decided that the date would be commemorated with an exhibition called Preview of the Modern Art Centre. The exhibition aimed to show the public the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s (FCG) future exhibition space, explaining the reasons that led to it being built and its plans. The event was organised in accordance with three themes. “The Building”, “Sample of the Museum’s Collection” and “Documentation and Artistic Creation Centres”.

“The Building” dealt with the location, design and construction of the building. Some initial studies in experimental locations were exhibited, along with the design by architect Leslie Martin (1908-1999), including a scale model of the building and features from the plans for the Art Education Pavilion. Photographs were also shown illustrating the progress of the building’s construction over the fourteen months before the exhibition was held.

In “Sample of the Museum’s Collection”, the aim was to exhibit the collection of modern art created by the FCG up to that point. However, due to space restrictions, only some works were selected to be exhibited, shown in chronological order and highlighting some key moments in Portuguese art: “The pioneers of Portuguese modernism, with a focus on Amadeo Souza-Cardoso, Viana, Almada, Soares and Barradas, as well as the influence of Sónia and Robert Delaunay on the Portuguese art of that period. The 30s: the Independents and the setting up of the Secretariat for National Propaganda and its influence on artistic life at the time. Surrealism. Neorealism. Vieira da Silva and Portuguese abstractionism. The setting up of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and its influence on the Portuguese art of today” (Antevisão do Centro de Arte Moderna, 1981).

Each of these periods corresponded to a decade, which in turn corresponded to a room. There were seven “room-decades” in total, connected by a corridor, located in the lower gallery of the main building’s Temporary Exhibition Gallery.

In the final section, “Documentation and Artistic Creation Centres”, the aim was to set up structures to contextualise the works exhibited. This section was shown on the Lower Ground Floor of the main building’s Temporary Exhibition Gallery and represented the historical evolution of Portuguese art by displaying drawings, books, magazines, multiples and other documents. The idea was to connect each moment in art with other important cultural, social and political landmarks of the time, although “very schematically and with several restrictions” (ibid.). The information shown would later be included in a “database (that is hoped to be computerised)” and included in the planned Documentation Department. The department would be responsible for the scientific research of the collection and its artists and it was hoped that it would be permanently accessible to scholars and researchers in a range of fields, with a particular focus on artistic creation in Portugal in the 20th century, specifically from 1911 onwards, the date considered to be when “Portuguese modernism” began.

The design for the museum was based on using display panels and supports, created as prototypes for the ones that would be installed in the MAC.

As well as selling the catalogue and posters, there are references to an intention to sell slides and postcards of the main artworks in the collection. There are also indications that, during the period of the exhibition, sessions would be held to project films and slideshows.