Calouste Gulbenkian and his museum

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (29 March 1869, Constantinople – 20 July 1955, Lisbon) was a British financier, industrialist and philanthropist of Armenian origin, a major oil magnate of the first half of the 20th century and co-founder of many oil companies.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon holds the collection he assembled of European fine art, as well as Eastern and ancient art. The museum opened on 2 October 1969 in accordance with his will and is funded by the foundation bearing his name. The collection numbers more than 6,000 objects, of which about 1,000 are on display.

The oil painting shows a man with a moustache in a dark suit, arms crossed, seated in an armchair. In the lower left corner are the artist’s signature and the word “Paris” with a date.