The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum can take you from Ancient Egypt to the present day across its two collections. The Founder’s Collection, gathered throughout Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian’s life, is considered to be one of the best private collections in the world, comprising more than six thousand pieces, from Antiquity to the early 20th century. The Modern Collection, one of the most complete collections of modern and contemporary Portuguese art, comprises more than ten thousand works, from the last decades of the 19th century up to the present day.

The Modern Collection dates from the creation of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 1956 and is considered to be the most complete collection of modern Portuguese art in the world. It is housed in a building located in the south of the garden, which was designed by the architect Sir Leslie Martin (1983). This collection also includes significant examples of twentieth-century British art. From Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso to Paula Rego and Vieira da Silva, the Modern Collection features some of the most internationally renowned Portuguese artists and continues to grow as contemporary works of art are added to it through donations and purchases.