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| Founded | 18 July 1956 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian |
| Type | Private foundation |
| Focus | Arts,science, &education |
| Location |
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Key people | President of the Board António M. Feijó |
| Revenue | €169.5million (2017)[1] |
| Endowment | €3.9billion (2017)[1] |
| Website | Official Website |
TheCalouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portuguese:Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), commonly referred to simply as theGulbenkian Foundation, is aPortuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of thearts,philanthropy,science, andeducation. One of thewealthiest charitable foundations in the world, the Gulbenkian Foundation was founded on 18 July 1956 according to the last will and testament ofCalouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, a Portugal-based oil magnate who bequeathed his assets to the country in the form of a foundation.
Gulbenkian the Armenian oil magnate had one of the largest private art collections in Europe, which is housed in the foundation'sCalouste Gulbenkian Museum inLisbon. The foundation hosts numerous institutions and initiatives including theGulbenkian Orchestra,Gulbenkian Science Institute,Gulbenkian Prizes and theGulbenkian Commission.
Located inLisbon (civil parish ofAvenidas Novas), the Foundation's premises opened in 1969 and were designed byRuy Athouguia,Pedro Cid, andAlberto Pessoa. In addition to Foundation offices, the complex includes an auditorium, exhibition space, congress facilities, and a large building designed specifically to house and display Museum and art library. These are set inGulbenkian Park, which was designed byRibeiro Telles. In 1983, the Modern Art Centre was added at one end of the park.
TheCalouste Gulbenkian Museum (Portuguese:Museu Calouste Gulbenkian), founded in conformity with his last will and testament, accommodates his collection of mostly ancient and classical art, but including some individual modern pieces.
TheInstituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC, a science institute) is not situated on the same premises but its own complex inOeiras (outskirts of Lisbon), near the palace of theMarquis of Pombal. The institute is an international centre for biological andbiomedical research and graduate training. Founded in 1961, the IGC is organised in small independent research groups that work in an environment designed to encourage interactions with minimal hierarchical structure. The scientific programme is multidisciplinary, including Cell andDevelopmental biology,Evolutionary biology,Immunology,Host-pathogen interaction, Disease Genetics,Plant Biology,Neurosciences, Theoretical andComputational biology.
TheGulbenkian Orchestra (Portuguese:Orquestra Gulbenkian) is aPortuguese symphonyorchestra based inLisbon. The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the 1,228-seat[2]Grande Auditório (Grand Auditorium) of the Foundation's main premises. Established in 1962 as theOrquestra de Câmara Gulbenkian (Gulbenkian Chamber Orchestra) with 12 musicians, it has subsequently expanded in size and took on its current name in 1971.
Gulbenkian ballet was a Portuguese classical dance troupe created in 1965 by the Foundation as Centro Português do Bailado. Its programme directors were Walter Gore (1965–1969), Milko Sparembeck (1969–1975), Jorge Salavisa (1977–1996), Iracity Cardoso (1996–2003) and Paulo Ribeiro (2003–2005). The project was terminated in 2005.
Gulbenkian Choir (Portuguese:Coro Gulbenkian) is a musical choir project established by the Foundation in 1964 as the Gulbenkian Chamber Choir (Coro de Câmara Gulbenkian) directed by Olga Violante (1964–1969). Since then the choir made up of an average 100 members is directed by Michel Corboz.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation also has a delegation in theUnited Kingdom (UK Branch) and a centre inParis (the Calouste Gulbenkian Cultural Centre). The Foundation's Armenian Communities Department has a unique and separate long-running mission in aiding Armenia andDiasporan Armenian projects. It is a member of theNetwork of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation (NEF).[3] The mission statement[4] of the UK Branch desires to change perceptions, build relationships, reducesocial exclusion and preserve the environment and innovative partnerships.
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The foundation publishes books on a range of topics, including arts, education and languages.
Partex, a Portugueseoil extraction company, was fully owned by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation until it was sold in June 2019 to a Thai company.[5]
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is very active in the Armenian community worldwide as its founder Calouste Gulbenkian was of Armenian ethnicity. The Foundation has its Armenian Communities Department headed by Razmik Panossian. The Foundation's Armenian Communities Department distributes scholarships in the form of grants and bourses to Armenian students worldwide pursuing their education all over the world. The Foundation is active inArmenia and throughout theArmenian diaspora. It also supports actively in promotion and preservation of theArmenian language, in particularWestern Armenian used mostly by the Armenian diaspora, support of Armenian schools throughout the world, as well as Armenian societies, history, culture, churches, media, sports etc.[6][7]
TheGulbenkian Commission sought to address inadequacies in the organization of thesocial 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. It held three meetings in 1994 and 1995.
Grand-Cross of theOrder of Merit, Portugal (20 June 1960)[8]
Honorary Member of theMilitary Order of Saint James of the Sword, Portugal (7 August 1981)[8]
Honorary Member of theOrder of Prince Henry, Portugal (13 August 1986)[8]
Honorary Member of theOrder of Liberty, Portugal (20 July 2016)[8]
38°44′14″N9°9′15″W / 38.73722°N 9.15417°W /38.73722; -9.15417
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