Other Great Museums
Museu da Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkiai*** Hailed by art critics as one of the world's finest private art collections, this magnificent treasure trove was formed from a nucleus of art acquired by Calouste Gulbenkian, an oil magnate with an eye for art, who died in 1955 and willed his collection to the state. The modern museum was constructed on a former private estate that once belonged to the Count of Vilalva and opened in 1969. Allow at least 3 hours for a romp through this varied collection, which covers Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities among other treasures, even a rare (for Europe) assemblage of Islamic art, including Syrian glass and ceramics and textiles from Turkey and old Persia. The medieval illuminated manuscripts and ivories form a stunning display, as do the French Impressionist paintings, 18th-century decorative works, antiques, silverware, and jewelry.
In a move requiring great skill in negotiation, Gulbenkian managed to buy art from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Among his most notable acquisitions are two Rem-brandts: Portrait of an Old Man and Alexander the Great. Two other well-known paintings are Portrait of Hélène Fourment by Peter Paul Rubens and Portrait of Madame Claude Monet by Pierre-August Renoir. In addition, we suggest that you seek out Mary Cassatt's The Stocking. The French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon is represented by a statue of Diana. Silver made by François-Thomas Germain, once used by Catherine the Great, is here, as well as one piece by Thomas Germain, the father.
As a cultural center, the Gulbenkian Foundation sponsors plays, films, ballets, and concerts, as well as a rotating exhibition of works by leading modern Portuguese and foreign artists.
Av. de Berna 45. & 21/782-3000. www.museo.gulbenkian.pt.Admission 3€ ($3.90), free for seniors (65 and over), students, and teachers. Free to all Sun.Wed-Sun 10am-6pm. Metro: Sebastiao or Praça de Espanha.
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga Set inside the 17th-century palace of the
Counts of Alvor, this great museum, one of the finest in Iberia, was founded in part from rare collections taken from monasteries that were suppressed in 1833. The greatest
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