The collection of 85 paintings and other works was inherited by the Portuguese state after the collapse and bankruptcy of the Banco Português de Negócios (BPN) bank in 2013.
The paintings were to have been sold at auction in February 2014 at London auction house Christie’s, which ended up cancelling the sale because of ongoing legal action in Portugal concerning whether due process had been followed in taking them out of the country.
Portugal’s Prime Minister, António Costa said that the collection, which is the largest of the artist’s work in the world, would be permanently kept at the Serralves Museum in Porto.
The inauguration of the exhibition entitled “Joan Miro: Materiality and Metamorphosis,” was attended by the Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Prime Minister, António Costa, the Minister for Culture, Luís Filipe Castro Mendes, and the President of Spain, Mariano Rajoy.
The exhibition, curated by Robert Lubar Messeri, will end on 27 January, 2017. It covers six decades of the artist’s work – from 1924 to 1981.