Lighting of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Abstract

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, opened in October 1969, houses a fine and varied collection representative of many arts and periods. The Museum was designed specifically to display the collection to best advantage, and in this the lighting of the exhibits is fundamental. The nature and value of the exhibits made it necessary to meet exceptional conservation requirements, and for this reason daylight has been largely excluded from the Museum and illumination throughout is in a low-medium key. However, by careful attention to brightness gradations, planning for adaptation, and by lighting the exhibits individually and relying largely on light reflected from them for general background illumination, effective display has been achieved in an environment that is aesthetically pleasing, often dramatic and which is worthy of this exceptional collection.