"Only the Best" : Masterpieces of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon

Born in Istanbul of Armenian parentage, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869–1955) became a pioneer in the international oil industry, a philanthropist, and a widely respected art collector. His vast collection—which totaled some five thousand works—included European paintings ranging from the Renaissance to Impressionism, Egyptian sculpture, Roman medals, Islamic ceramics and textiles, illuminated manuscripts, eighteenth-century French furniture and silver, and spectacular jeweled objects by Lalique. The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon opened in 1969 to house this extraordinary collection. The exhibition, which coincides with a major renovation of the Gulbenkian Museum, displays highlights from the collection, including masterpieces of painting by Rubens, Fragonard, Turner, Manet, and Monet.

The exhibition is made possible by The Hagop Kevorkian Fund and The Kossak Family Foundation.

Additional support has been provided by Patti Cadby Birch.

The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon. An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.