Gulbenkian Museum Collection
The collection comprises around six thousand works acquired by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, spanning from Ancient Egypt to the 20th century.
Over more than fifty years, guided always by his personal taste, Gulbenkian built an eclectic collection with advice from the leading specialists of his day. The result is one of the most important private art collections in the world.
The Museum’s galleries display around a thousand pieces along a route that begins in Ancient Egypt, moves through the Islamic World, China and Japan, and ends in Europe.
EXPLORE THE COLLECTION
Ancient Egypt
This section brings together works spanning the most significant artistic periods of Egyptian civilization, from the Old Kingdom to Roman rule. Many were acquired with the help of archaeologist Howard Carter.
Greece, Rome and Mesopotamia
Sculpture, ceramics, glass, jewellery and an outstanding numismatic collection represent ancient Greece and Rome, alongside a small group of Mesopotamian works.
Islamic World
Ceramics, glass, carpets, textiles and manuscript art from Persia, Turkey, Syria, the Caucasus and India make up this section, covering the 12th through 18th centuries.
Armenia
This section reflects Gulbenkian's own roots, bringing together illuminated manuscripts produced in the Armenian diaspora between the 16th and 18th centuries.
China and Japan
Gulbenkian collected porcelain, lacquerware, hardstone, textiles and woodblock prints from China and Japan, with a special fondness for Qing dynasty porcelain and Japanese prints from the Edo period.
Europe, 12th–15th centuries
Sculpture, ivories and a group of illuminated manuscripts – one of the collector's favourite genres – make up this section.
Europe, 15th–17th centuries
Painting from Europe's major artistic centers during this period is represented by works from Rubens, Van Dyck and Frans Hals.
Europe, 18th century
Gold- and silverware, furniture and French tapestries, alongside painting and sculpture of the period, define this section, with particular emphasis on the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles.
Europe, 19th-20th centuries
This section brings together French and English painting and sculpture, featuring works by Turner, Degas, Monet, Corot, Renoir, Carpeaux and Rodin.
René Lalique
This section brings together nearly two hundred objects by Lalique, including jewellery, glassware and decorative pieces. 82 pieces of jewellery were acquired directly from the artist, a result of the close relationship between the two men.