Organised by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG), the exhibition Ideias e Edifícios 1933-86 - Atelier de Leslie Martin e seus Associados [Ideas and Buildings 1933-86 - Firm of Leslie Martin and his Associates] involved the cooperation of the architect Leslie Martin (Manchester, United Kingdom, 1908-1999) and his wife Sadie Speight Martin (Lancashire, United Kingdom, 1906-1992) in designing the exhibition programme that, as José de Azeredo Perdigão writes in the introduction to the catalogue does not aim to be a simple retrospective of the man, but also the work of his firm over 50 years, divided into well-established sections and not forgetting all those who worked with him (Ideias e Edifícios 1933-86/Atelier de Leslie Martin e seus Associados, 1986).
The exhibition was based on the book Buildings and Ideas (Cambridge: University Press, 1983) and was divided into several sections that follow the structure of the publication, displaying photos, models and plans. The exhibition's museum plan included a possible tour for the exhibition from the beginning; it was formed of panels measuring 1.5m in width and 2m in height that could be set up in different ways, making it easier to put the exhibition on in different places.
The path through the exhibition was designed to be chronological and included an educational side. It was divided into two sections that occupied the entire gallery space: Buildings and forms on the left-hand side of the room and Aspects of development and the urban environment on the right-hand side (Letter from Leslie Martin to Sanchez Domenech, 17 Oct. 1986, Gulbenkian Archives, SEM 00341).
As well as participating in the museum design, the architect Leslie Martin led a guided tour of the exhibition on 25 May 1986, to which several Portuguese architects were invited.
After Lisbon, the exhibition was shown in Porto from 29 October to 19 November 1986 at the Pátio das Nações do Palácio da Bolsa, and was also designed to open in Barcelona and Marylebone.
The exhibition was widely publicised in the Portuguese press.