I hope you know this feeling that I will attempt to describe.
It’s when I am somehow automatically and notably comfortable, and I am drawn in further as a smile keeps spreading across my face. I feel a resonance that everything is aligned and vibrant.
I think this feeling is a rare and amazing gift from artists. Sometimes it is evoked through a piece of music, a sculpture, a painting. I feel lucky that it occasionally comes to me through architecture and landscape design. I had no idea that it would almost knock me over when I visited a place here in Lisbon.
That place was the Gulbenkian Museum.
I don’t really want to analyze the design to find the formula for the magic. The lines and scale that feel like a Frank Lloyd Wright house, or the smells and richness of the interior wood and carpeting, or the shaded path revealing streams and delightfully dismissive ducks, or the plate glass allowing interior and exterior to interact, or was it all of that and more? I just know that I immediately fell in love, and then fell deeper and deeper all afternoon.
The purpose of the campus is to exhibit the art collection of a single person – Calouste Gulbenkian (1869-1955). At a point in history, this name would have elicited quite a reaction, as one of the wealthiest men in the world. I admit that I had never heard of him. But now I’d consider him as an interesting option for the game “If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?” He was trained as a petroleum engineer, and he masterfully navigated the business and politics of the oil industry by affiliating with multiple countries and negotiating various deals and mergers. He also knew when and where to relocate as World War I complicated European boundaries. He clearly had a great passion for all forms and ages of art, and amassed an astounding private collection. I imagine him coming across a vase and buying it because it was ‘better’ than the one he already had, and thus he was always ‘upgrading’. I can’t wrap my head around how he was able to build such tremendous wealth, to even attempt to agree or disagree with his business decisions, but I respect that he donated to churches, schools, and hospitals. He bequeathed much of his assets and his collection to the start of a foundation with the vision for a museum.
In relatively short order, by 1957, the land for the foundation and museum was acquired. But it seemed quality was prioritized over speed. The subsequent twelve years included a design competition and a lot of due diligence, exploration, creativity, and specificity. I can only guess at the joy of the design team having the time for prototypes and customizing every detail. The campus finally opened in 1969. As I wandered through the main building, I was delighted to see snippets of the original design drawings as well as photographs of the original displays, mounted on various partitions, as part of a celebration of the museum’s 50th anniversary.
Unlike most galleries, the full collection was already known, so the rooms and display cases could be tailored exactly for the pieces as opposed to remaining flexible or adaptable for future purchases. That is a big reason why the interior feels so comfortable – everything fits perfectly. He collected rugs, and they are laid out on large floors. Same with wall tapestries – which needed an even larger space. Yet I never felt I was walking from one room to another, but rather following a path, always catching glimpses of what lay ahead, and behind, and outdoors. The fabrics and cloaks were in floating glass cases. Artistic tiles were inlaid into partitions. The statue of Diana looked like it could step out the window into her forest.
I have tried to learn more about the designers, but there isn’t much available (at least in English) and it all suggests that the Gulbenkian Foundation and Museum is the primary achievement for each member of the team. So I don’t have a quest to find more of their work, just continued admiration for what they created 50 years ago, to showcase a unique private collection, in an equally unique and special place.
