FUNDAÇÃO MUSEU CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN

Surrounded by a delightful park where locals like to come on weekends, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Museum offers an inspired and rich tour of the history of art since its creation in 1969! It's sumptuous! All the pieces on display - around one-fifth (only) of the collection - are in excellent condition.

The visit begins with an Egyptian room (from 2700 BC to the Roman period): a number of carefully selected sculptures, masks and objects on display immediately convey the pleasure of rediscovering the hieratic and symbolic art of Egyptian statuary staring into eternity. Particularly noteworthy are a beautiful mummy mask, the emblematic Djedher solar boat (in bronze) and a statue of Judge Bes. A very fine introduction to a journey that will continue to be interesting.

A number of Greek and Roman pieces follow , including meticulously executed medallions, a superb Greek vase with satyr motifs, followed by an Assyrian bas-relief dating from 884 BC. On top, you can see a figure depicted in profile - accentuating its majestic character - pointing with his hand in the direction of the Levant.

The following rooms feature a rich collection of Islamic art from Persia, Syria and Turkey: vases, carpets, illuminated manuscripts and azulejos. It's more than an initiation! A testament to Calouste Gulbenkian's predilection for objects from the Near and Middle East, and the enlightened collector's obvious attachment to his Armenian roots (the Iznik ceramics are more than superb!).

To continue our exotic journey, another collection takes us even further afield, with Chinese porcelain - from the Qing dynasty. Ravishingly well-preserved, it has stood the test of time.

You then move on to the Western art section of the museum. The manuscript books are magnificent: books of hours, illustrations of the Apocalypse from England, and other exceptional works.

The painting section is launched by two portraits by Van der Weyden (^15th century), including a Saint José, the pinnacle of this master's technique: transparency and thickness of materials, finesse of detail. Other major works include a Portrait of a Young Woman by Ghirlandaio, and a remarkably composed Adoration of the Child and Donors by Carpaccio: the newborn child is very small in proportion to the canvas, but the eye is focused on him thanks to the V-shaped structure that opens onto the sea and the arrival of the Magi.

A Rubens(Centaurs) carried away by the movement of life, the overflow of flesh and desire that seizes these mythological creatures. A Portrait of a Man by Van Dyck at the height of his powers.

Opposite, two portraits by Rembrandt, including a Pallas Athéna... This is followed by a series of French paintings of very relative interest (apart from showing the vanity of decadent aristocracy or bourgeois sentiment). A fine space is reserved for Francesco Guardi. Some twenty paintings show different aspects of the Venetian city in the midst of various festivities, under a sky of a beautiful pale bluish yellow.

In the English room, a very large, delicately pre-Romantic portrait by Gainsborough( Portrait of Mrs. Lowndes-Stone) and two Turners. Even more than the large-format Naufrage, L'Embouchure de la Seine à Quillebeuf bears the painter's power and innovation: some of the "clouds" are paint applied directly to the canvas, without any further work. The effect of movement and tormented light becomes all the more real in this attempt to capture the violence and beauty of the raging elements. Finally, a collection of Impressionists, including works by Degas and Monet, worked with a sense of urgency and visible speed of execution..

There are also works by Renoir and Fragonard, Italian velvets and stylish French furniture that once belonged to the illustrious patron... You won't want to miss Manet's two masterpieces, L'enfant aux cerises and Les bulles de savon, or Degas' strange little canvas Portrait d'Henri Michel-Lévy. It's more an exhaustive collection than a museum, and the whole thing is breathtaking!

Not to mention the icing on the cake, in this case the last section, quite apart and considered unique in the world, housing exquisitely fine objects by René Lalique, Art Nouveau artist and loyal friend of Calouste Gulbenkian. Awe-inspiring! It's the apotheosis.

As for the presentation, it's quite sober and successful, in the hushed atmosphere of a mosque or Zen temple. A visit is always a highlight, as the collections rotate.

And for modern art enthusiasts, just cross the garden to access the modern collection. It contains probably the best collection of contemporary Portuguese art (paintings and sculptures from 1910 to the present day: precursors, abstracts, pop art and minimalists), as well as temporary exhibitions that are always very interesting! And its excellent and very economical cafeteria makes for a fine dining experience in the middle of the gardens.