CAM – Centro de Art Moderna – Gulbenkian

CAM is an art and culture centre with a collection of modern and contemporary art, including the largest representation of Portuguese artists to date.

The brainchild of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s founding President, José de Azeredo Perdigão, and its Board, CAM first opened its doors in July 1983 in a building designed by Sir Leslie Martin and associates. A fully redesigned building by Kengo Kuma and Associates was inaugurated in September 2024.

Originally conceived in 1956 as a venue to house a collection of modern and contemporary art, CAM now holds the most extensive gathering of 20th- and 21st-century Portuguese artists to date. It was also intended to be a space for presenting the work of emerging artists in all disciplines; hence its name: Centro de Arte Moderna. CAM naturally became the home of ACARTE, an avant-garde, multidisciplinary programme launched in 1984 by Madalena de Azeredo Perdigão.

Set within a new garden designed by Vladimir Djurovic, the new CAM hosts multiple displays of its collection, alongside temporary exhibitions by both emerging and established artists, some of whom are being shown in Portugal for the first time. In addition to its traditional exhibition galleries, CAM also includes a space dedicated to sound art. With this relaunch, CAM is proud to present a comprehensive Live Arts programme, reflecting the diverse artistic production of our time, as well as a Learning Space and a wide range of participatory projects.