Gulbenkian Foundation’s 70th-Anniversary Exhibition Unites Museum Masterpieces with Haute Couture Icons
January 10, 2026 | Art and Fashion in the Gulbenkian Collection Exhibition
This April, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon Presents “Art and Fashion in the Gulbenkian Collection.” The Major Exhibition Juxtaposes 100 Historic Artworks With 140 Contemporary Fashion Pieces to Explore the Enduring Conversation Between Aesthetics Across Time and Cultures.
What does an 18th-century French portrait whisper to a punk-inspired Vivienne Westwood gown? Can an ancient Egyptian funerary mask hold the same mystique as a breathtaking couture ensemble by Guo Pei? This spring, Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG) becomes the global stage for these captivating conversations. Starting April 18, the Foundation launches a seminal exhibition, “Art and Fashion in the Gulbenkian Collection,” to celebrate its 70th anniversary.
Located in the FCG’s Main Gallery near Praça de Espanha, the show unites the institution’s vast, encyclopedic holdings with visionary designs from legendary houses. Under the curatorship of Eloy Martínez de la Peña, the project demonstrates how recurring artistic motifs continually inspire and transform the world of fashion, inviting you to witness beauty’s relentless journey through time.
The Exhibition’s Core Dialogue
The exhibition constructs a direct, active dialogue across centuries. It places approximately 100 seminal paintings, sculptures, and objets d’art from the Gulbenkian Museum’s collection, which spans Ancient Egypt to the 20th century, alongside 140 radical fashion creations. These pairings create tangible, visual conversations. For instance, the structured silhouette of a Balenciaga garment might echo the severe geometry of an Assyrian bas-relief. While the romanticism of an Yves Saint Laurent dress could reflect the delicate brushwork of a European master painting. The exhibition actively rejects passive display, instead fostering a dynamic space where a piece of jewelry “narrates” a story that a contemporary garment “deciphers” and reinvents.
A Celebration of a Vision
The event draws direct inspiration from the discerning tastes of the Foundation’s founder, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955), and his wife, who actively followed the artistic and sartorial trends of their era. This historical thread weaves through the entire show, grounding contemporary flights of fancy in a deep, collected legacy. The accompanying catalogue, featuring exclusive photography by Jon Cazenave, further documents these intersections. The lineup of fashion designers actively bridges international fame and Portuguese talent, featuring names like Alexander McQueen, Dior, Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Portuguese designers such as José António Tenente and Nuno Gama.
Decoding the Hidden Language of Fashion
The exhibition frames clothing as a profound cultural mirror. It reveals how garments, from historic portraiture to a vaporeuse haute couture gown, encode social hierarchies, aspirations, and unspoken rituals. The show promises a sensory experience, challenging viewers to see both art and fashion as united fields. They share the fundamental human desire to tell stories, convey identity, and capture the spirit of an age, proving that a sculpted drape and a painted one ultimately speak the same visual language.
Art and Fashion in the Gulbenkian Collection Exhibition
📍 Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, near Praça de Espanha
🗓 April 18 – June 22, 2026 (closed Tuesdays)
🌐 Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
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