Lisbon, Jan. 20, 2025 (Lusa) - The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon will be closed for renovations that begin on 18 March this year and will last until July 2026, the foundation announced on Monday.

However, between 11 April and 1 September, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will be showing around 200 works in the gallery on the lower floor of the museum, including "some of the most emblematic pieces from what is considered to be the most extraordinary collection assembled by a single collector in the first half of the 20th century, and which covers more than 5000 years of history, from antiquity to the 20th century".

In a statement, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation explained that the work will focus on "renovating the air conditioning, lighting and security systems to bring the museum up to current standards and requirements regarding the conservation and presentation of the collection".

"The intervention will also take into account the management of the flow of visitors, which today is much higher than in the initial years, to improve the visitor experience," added the institution chaired by António M. Feijó.

According to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, "there will also be a general harmonisation of the various galleries, which have been subject to interventions over the years, to reaffirm the idea behind the Gulbenkian Museum's original project", ensuring that "access to the works on display will be clearer and more legible, including more information focusing on the figure of the collector and research into the Collection".

The period of closure of the museum, directed by António Filipe Pimentel, will also be used to restore and study some paintings, with the collaboration of the Hércules Laboratory of the University of Évora, the foundation added.

In September last year, Gulbenkian inaugurated the renovated Modern Art Centre, after four years of closure, with an additional 900 square metres of exhibition space.

TDI/ADB // ADB.

Lusa