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30 Oct 2020 16:36
BFF Banking Group sponsors the renovation of the “Lalique” room at the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon
The patronage project includes the sponsoring of the renovation of the “Lalique” Room at the Gulbenkian Museum and the exhibition “René Lalique and the Age of Glass”

Lisbon, 30 October 2020 – BFF Banking Group – the leading bank for suppliers of the Public Administrations in Europe – is proud to announce the patronage of the renovation of the Lalique Room in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, which is to be finalized in 2021, as well as the sponsoring of the exhibition “René Lalique and the Age of Glass” that takes place in the same Museum from 30th October 2020 to 1st of February 2021.

“René Lalique and the Age of Glass” takes place three decades after the first exhibition entirely dedicated to this artist, showcasing a hundred works of Lalique’s glass production from the collection of Calouste Gulbenkian – which he himself had acquired to Lalique between 1899 and 1927 – a set of works from the Lalique Museum (Wingen-sur-Moder) in Alsace, and selected works from some of the most renowned private collections in the world.

With curatorship by Luísa Sampaio, the exhibition goes through all great moments in the artists’ career, from the artisanal production stage as jeweler in the Art Noveau period, to the time when Lalique assumed the role of “industrial creator” and started to devote his work exclusively to glass production. The tour is chronologically anchored in two key moments of XX century art: the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts of 1925.

 

On the patronage project, Nuno Francisco, Head of Portugal of BFF Banking Group, commented: “Our Group has been always committed to the promotion of arts and culture in the many geographies we operate. BFF opened its branch in Portugal in 2018, and this patronage project is our first contribution to the community through the promotion of arts in the Country. To support the Gulbenkian Foundation in bringing this initiative to life is a reason for pride and satisfaction for all of us.”

Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins, Trustee of Gulbenkian Foundation, added: “The Gulbenkian Foundation welcomes the important contribution by BFF Banking Group for these two projects, which star the amazing jeweler and glass master René Lalique. For the months this splendid exhibition will be open – a unique show in the world, that allows the meeting of a genius artist -, we will proceed to an extensive renovation of Lalique Room to propose a more contemporary and vibrant reading of the extraordinary collection acquired by our Founder. The Foundation thanks the generous collaboration of BFF Banking Group in bringing this double project to life, which will surely attract an audience that is fascinated by the beauty and elegance of Lalique’s works.”