kengo kuma’s centro de arte moderna gulbenkian in lisbon opens in september

a three-day live arts program welcomes the opening of kengo kuma-designed centro de arte moderna gulbenkian in lisbon, and the exhibitions are free to visit for the first month

matthew burgos February 23, 2024 5 min

kengo kuma’s centro arte moderna gulbenkian to open soon

Kengo Kuma and Associates announce the opening of the Centro de Arte Moderna (CAM) Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Portugal on September 20th, 2024, five years after the architecture team started working on the renovation. The modern art museum is undergoing the final touches, with its architecture nestled within the grounds of Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundation, a multidisciplinary campus comprising 1960s buildings in an 18-acre woodland, representing the legacy of the collector and philanthropist, Calouste Gulbenkian. CAM is scheduled to open with a three-day live arts program, and the exhibitions will be free to visit and open to the public during the first month.

kengo kuma centro de arte moderna gulbenkian lisbon — renders courtesy of Kengo Kuma and Associates

Exploring kengo kuma’s Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian

Kengo Kuma and Associates encircle the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian in Lisbon with lush greenery and a large engawa, or a sheltered walkway typical of Japanese dwellings. This sweeping shelter is integrated into the surrounding gardens of the Gulbenkian Foundation, harking back to Kengo Kuma’s ethos of ‘soft and humane architecture’ and responding to Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian’s desire to connect the building with nature and the city. The architecture team also introduces a 100-meter-long sweeping canopy made of ceramic tiles produced in Portugal, leading the architectural and interior renovation. An entrance has been created as well to extend the scope of the gardens and create a dense urban forest, conceived by landscape designer Vladimir Djurovic.

Lisbon’s Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian is also being prepared to feature spaces dedicated to sound art, works on paper, education, and live arts, as well as a new sunken gallery. David Jesus, the former sous-chef at Lisbon’s Michelin-starred restaurant Belcanto, heads the restaurant that offers a fast daily menu and slow service using locally-sourced ingredients. Entering the art museum’s shop, contemporary Portuguese design is showcased throughout, emphasizing the use of sustainable materials, as well as arts and culture publications and prints.

In terms of structural engineering, Buro Happold was commissioned to provide it for the concept and scheme design phase of the renovated modern art museum. Before Kengo Kuma and Associates took on the renovation project, Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian was conceived by British architect Sir Leslie Martin. It opened in 1983 as home to some of the world’s most significant collections of modern and contemporary Portuguese artworks.

Developing new visual identity for the modern art museum

The next step for the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian in Lisbon is under the hands of the design studio A Practice for Everyday Life. They are developing the art museum’s new visual identity, inspired by the organic lines and sheltering nature of the Engawa and the building that Kengo Kuma and Associates brought to life. All of the recent developments are set to be in place for the September 2024 opening of the reimagined art museum. During the September 2024 opening, Lisbon’s Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian also welcomes a major exhibition featuring a site-specific installation by Berlin-based Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes alongside a selection of works by women artists from the art museum’s collection and a three-day live arts event free for the public to attend.

The Kengo Kuma-designed Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian in Lisbon also foresees holding a significant collection of works by international and British artists, including Robert Delaunay, David Hockney, and Bridget Riley. These bring together the modern and the contemporary, a theme that the art museum wants to explore and revisit as it goes through segments of its expansive art collection from multiple perspectives. The art museum is also expected to continue hosting major open collections of almost 12,000 artworks spanning paintings, sculptures, installations, drawings, prints, photographs, and films by some of the country’s most renowned artists, such as Helena Almeida, Paula Rego, and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva.