Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese
private foundation
of public utility whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts
, charity
, education
, and science
. Created by a clause in the will of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, a Portugal-based petrol magnate of Armenia
n origin, the Foundation's statutes were approved in 1956.
The head-office is located in Lisbon
. The large premises, opened in 1969, comprise the head-office itself and the museum, and were designed by Ruy Athouguia, Pedro Cid, and Alberto Pessoa. In addition to the areas occupied by the Foundation's management and various departments, the premises include a large auditorium, a space for temporary exhibitions, a congress area with auditoriums and other rooms, as well as a large building that houses the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Art Library. The entire complex is set in the Gulbenkian Park, which was designed by Ribeiro Telles. In 1983, the Modern Art Centre, consisting of a museum and an education centre, was opened at one end of the park. The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
(a science institute) is situated inside a multi-building complex in Oeiras (outskirts of Lisbon), near the palace of the Marquis of Pombal. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation also has a delegation in the United Kingdom
(UK Branch) and a centre in Paris
(the Calouste Gulbenkian Cultural Centre). The Gulbenkian Orchestra
is one of the major orchestras in Portugal.
Partex
, a Portuguese oil extraction company, is fully owned by the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.
The foundation publishes books on a range of topics, including arts and educational policy.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
private foundation
Private foundation
A private foundation is a legal entity set up by an individual, a family or a group of individuals, for a purpose such as philanthropy. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private foundation in the U.S. with over $38 billion in assets...
of public utility whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. Created by a clause in the will of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, a Portugal-based petrol magnate of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n origin, the Foundation's statutes were approved in 1956.
Organization
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. The large premises, opened in 1969, comprise the head-office itself and the museum, and were designed by Ruy Athouguia, Pedro Cid, and Alberto Pessoa. In addition to the areas occupied by the Foundation's management and various departments, the premises include a large auditorium, a space for temporary exhibitions, a congress area with auditoriums and other rooms, as well as a large building that houses the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the Art Library. The entire complex is set in the Gulbenkian Park, which was designed by Ribeiro Telles. In 1983, the Modern Art Centre, consisting of a museum and an education centre, was opened at one end of the park. The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
The is an international centre for biomedical research and graduate education, located in in Oeiras, Portugal. It was founded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 1961. António Coutinho has been the Institute's Director since 1998....
(a science institute) is situated inside a multi-building complex in Oeiras (outskirts of Lisbon), near the palace of the Marquis of Pombal. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation also has a delegation in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(UK Branch) and a centre in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(the Calouste Gulbenkian Cultural Centre). The Gulbenkian Orchestra
Gulbenkian Orchestra
The Gulbenkian Orchestra is a Portuguese symphony orchestra based in Lisbon. The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the Grande Auditório of the Gulbenkian Foundation....
is one of the major orchestras in Portugal.
Partex
Partex
Partex Oil and Gas Corporation is an oil company which is fully owned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, from Lisbon, Portugal.-History:...
, a Portuguese oil extraction company, is fully owned by the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.
UK Branch
The mission statement of the UK Branch states that the foundation aims:- to help change people’s perception of each other by providing opportunities for improving understanding through culture and between cultures...
- to help build relationships and reduce social exclusion in order to assist individuals, families and communities to fulfil their potential and contribute to society, particularly focusing on: the young in school, relationships between young and old and those most at risk of dropping out of society...
- to support imaginative interventions that contribute towards the protection of the environment, and explore how environmental change affects the way we live...
- to support exceptional ideas and unusual partnerships between people and organisations that might not otherwise come together.
The foundation publishes books on a range of topics, including arts and educational policy.
See also
- Calouste GulbenkianCalouste GulbenkianCalouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development...
- Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
- Gulbenkian commissionGulbenkian commissionThe Gulbenkian Commission sought to address inadequacies in the organization of the social science disciplines that developed in the nineteenth century by indicating a direction for social scientific inquiry for the next 50 years. It was founded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation...
- Gulbenkian PrizeGulbenkian PrizeThe Art Fund Prize, formerly known as the Gulbenkian Prize, is an annual prize awarded to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for a "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence"...
- Gulbenkian OrchestraGulbenkian OrchestraThe Gulbenkian Orchestra is a Portuguese symphony orchestra based in Lisbon. The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the Grande Auditório of the Gulbenkian Foundation....
- Gulbenkian Science Institute
- Armenian-Portuguese relations