70 Years of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

A four-horse chariot — the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation's emblem, which has symbolised its four main fields of activity since its inception. Along the upper edge: the commemorative inscription "FUNDAÇÃO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN", the four fields "ARTE • BENEFICÊNCIA • CIÊNCIA • EDUCAÇÃO" and the dates "1956 – 2026". Lower right: the mint name "CASA DA MOEDA"; lower left: the designer's name "PEDRO CARVALHO". The issuing state "PORTUGAL" and its coat of arms appear between the lower inscriptions.

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, born in 1869 in Istanbul into an Armenian merchant family, was one of the most influential business figures of the early 20th century. He owed his fortune chiefly to his pivotal role in developing the oil fields of Mesopotamia: as an intermediary between Ottoman authorities and European corporations, he secured a permanent five-percent stake in the later Iraq Petroleum Company — the origin of his nickname "Mr. Five Percent." At the same time, he spent decades assembling one of the most significant private art collections of his era, with works ranging from ancient Egypt and Persian manuscripts to European masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. Gulbenkian found his final home in occupied Lisbon in the 1940s, where he remained until his death in 1955.

When Gulbenkian died in 1955, he left his entire fortune, his collection, and his properties to a new foundation based in Lisbon. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation — Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian — founded in 1956, quickly grew into one of the most financially powerful private cultural institutions in Europe. Its activities span four areas — art, science, education, and humanitarian aid — with its own museum in Lisbon, housing Gulbenkian's original collection, forming the most visible expression of this work. The foundation also supports research projects, orchestras, exhibitions, and scholarship programs in Portugal and internationally. In 2026, Portugal marks the institution's 70th anniversary with a 2-euro commemorative coin, honoring an organization whose reach extends far beyond the country's borders.