Portugal Keeps Miró Collection, Exhibits at Porto's Serralves Museum

After years of uncertainty, the Portuguese government has decided to retain the 85-piece Joan Miró collection, valued at £30 million, and will keep it in Porto. The collection, originally owned by the Banco Portugues de Negócios (confiscated by the state in 2008), was at risk of being auctioned by Christie's in London to alleviate Portugal's severe financial crisis. The proposed sale sparked public protests and was canceled on the day of the auction in February 2014, only to be reconsidered later. Prime Minister António Costa announced that the collection will remain public property and be conserved in Porto. However, it remains unclear whether the works will stay entirely state-owned or could be sold to private collectors who agree to keep them in Porto. The collection is currently on display at the Museu Serralves in Porto as part of the exhibition "Joan Miró: Relevance and Metamorphosis," running until January 28, 2017. The collection spans seven decades of Miró's career and was acquired by the bank from a private Japanese collection between 2003 and 2006.