Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Modern Art Centre (CAM) is set to launch its new look in September 2024, after a four-year closure for renovations. The result is a stunning injection of energy for the 40th anniversary of the original 1983 “International Style” edifice by British architect Sir Leslie Martin, famous for London’s Royal Festival Hall. The museum now includes Japanese-inspired elements, a new gallery and walkway, and extended redesigned gardens.
Softness and transition
The museum sits alongside mid-century buildings on a multidisciplinary campus among 18 acres of woodland. The site was bequeathed by British-Amenian petroleum businessman and philanthropist, Calouste Gulbenkian, and is one of the largest charitable foundations in Europe.
Among the star attractions of the reimagined museum is a large engawa, or a typical Japanese sheltered walkway, created by architect firm Kengo Kuma and Associates, as well as a 100-meter-long Portuguese ceramic tile canopy. The concept of “softness and transition” permeates the building, “replicating the building’s connection to the garden and external light,’ said Kengo Kuma in a statement, “creating a perfect fusion, where architecture and garden interact in harmony. Inspired by the essence of engawa.”
Intended as a “space of interaction between inside and outside”, the museum blurs the edges between the curated space within and the lush urban forest exterior, planted by landscape designer Vladimir Djurovic. “We open a new relationship with the outside, inviting visitors to slow down and make this space their own space,” the architects said.
Three-day event
To mark the re-opening, CAM is scheduled to open with a three-day live arts event. What’s more, its exhibitions will be free to visit and open to the public during the first month. The Main Gallery will feature an immersive exhibition by Leonor Antunes, a Portuguese sculptural installation creator.
Another exhibition entitled “Linha de Maré” (Tideline) will bring together nearly 100 works across media, including Japanese calligraphy and photography by Portuguese-Brazilian artist Fernando Lemos.
The art museum will be able to exhibit from among 12,000 artworks across a variety of media and forms by renowned Portuguese artists, such as Helena Almeida and Paula Rego, as well as international artists such as David Hockney.
But before the grand reveal, another step in the museum’s reincarnation must take place. A Practice for Everyday Life now begins a rebranding journey, developing the art museum’s new visual identity, drawing on the notions of shelter and organic flow tangible elsewhere in the project.
