Following Gulbenkian's footstep in humanity

Following Gulbenkian's footstep in humanity

If Indonesia's wealthy elite ever go to Portugal, they must visit
the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and its foundation's headquarters
at Avenida de Berna 45-A, in the heart of Lisbon.

Why? Because, hopefully, these super-rich folk can learn a
valuable lesson in philanthropy from Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian
(1869-1955). The British national was the pioneer of the oil
industry in the Middle East and later, the founder of this Lisbon
museum and its foundation. He is famous for being a super-rich
person who shared his great fortune with humanity.

Gulbenkian, also an art collector, was born in Turkey to
Armenian parents. His name has always been synonymous with
humanity and the arts -- thanks to his art legacy -- and
petroleum interests in the Middle East. The establishment of the
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, the city where he spent
the last 13 years of his life, was bequeathed for the people.

The museum -- widely considered to be one of the most valuable
of private collections in the world -- is listed by travel books
as one of the must-see places to go.

The foundation is acknowledged as one of the biggest in Europe
with its present portfolio of US$2.5 billion in the form of
diversified international investment.

It was his last wish that over 6,000 valuable pieces -- now
divided into Oriental and Classical Antiquity, Islamic Art, Far
Eastern Art and European Art -- must be placed under one roof and
that materialized after the inauguration of the Calouste
Gulbenkian Museum in 1969.

The 5,000-square-meter museum houses collections of mankind's
artistic activities from 2,800 BC to the 20th century.

Browsing the collection, one quickly realizes that Gulbenkian
-- also a financial expert -- was an eclectic collector. His
tastes ranged from Egyptian sculpture to French furniture, from
oriental ceramics to manuscripts, book bindings and old books,
from objects of Syrian glass to tapestry textiles, jewelry of
Reni Lalique (famous French jewelry designer who lived between
1860 and 1945), Greek coins and Italian renaissance medals.

"This is perhaps the best private Greek numismatic collection
in the world," said the museum's curator Maria Deolinda Cerqueira
while pointing at a series of silver coins. One of them dates to
the late fifth century B.C. profiling the head of the goddess
Athena, placed at the Oriental and Classical Antiquity room.

At a special room which hosts the Islamic art collection,
there are series of displays from ceramics, glass, illumination,
bookbinding to costumes.

Another hall dedicated to the Far East contains porcelain and
stones from China and lacquer work from Japan.

Visitors can also admire ivories and illuminated manuscripts
that reveal the religious spirit of the Middle Ages in Europe at
another room. While the museum's collection of painting,
sculpture and decorative arts spans the period of between 15th
and 20th centuries.

The museum is just one of Gulbenkian's legacy. A spacious
three-story headquarters of the foundation next to the museum --
comprising a hall, meeting rooms, galleries and an art library
with more than 160,000 books -- exhibits how his private wealth
was dedicated to the people of Portugal.

"We organize regular music concerts. We have an orchestra, a
choir and a ballet company. We also hold exhibitions for
Portuguese and foreign artists. In education affairs we grant
scholarships for specialized studies and doctorates abroad, as
well as scientific research and creativity," said Josi Blanco,
one of the foundation's trustees.

In recent years, the foundation has extended its activities to
almost every country where Portugal has left historical traces.
Preserving Portuguese heritage abroad is also the area in which
the foundation is involved.

"Our main focus is to promote Portuguese culture through
preserving our heritage abroad such as fortresses in Morocco and
Mombassa (Kenya) and the Portuguese settlement in Thailand," said
Blanco, adding that projects in Indonesia were the restoration of
the Taman Sari pool complex in Yogyakarta and Portuguese textile
exhibition at the Textile Museum in West Jakarta staged from May
to July this year.

Those activities are evidence of how Gulbenkian still
contributes to the Portuguese even though he has gone.

-- Ida Indawati Khouw