ISBN 978 972 8767 24 2 (2010)

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian born in the Ottoman Empire in 1869, his father was a trader and banker in Scutari, just south of Istanbul. Gulbenkian graduated in engineering at King’s College London and in 1902 became a British citizen, conducting much of his work from London and then Paris, but finally settling in Portugal. He was both multicultural and multilingual and spent a lifetime bringing together people from different cultures and nationalities.

Calouste Gulbenkian was a generous philanthropist. During his life he was particularly concerned with supporting the Armenian communities. In keeping with family tradition, Calouste Gulbenkian paid special attention to Jerusalem to whose museum in the Armenian Quarter he left the majority of his collection of Armenian art. He was also devoted to the memory of his parents whose tomb is in Istanbul in the S. Pirgiç Hospital. This Armenian hospital was founded in 1830 and has always received funding from the Gulbenkian family. Since Calouste Gulbenkian’s death his Foundation has continued to grant support.