After the government’s botched attempts to offload 85 Miró paintings at auction in February, moves are reportedly afoot to try and keep the multi-million collection in Portugal.
As things stand, the government’s desire to sell the paintings through Christie’s in London is still the only “fact” in the public domain – but it is believed that Prime Minister Passos Coelho is studying ways in which the surrealist works could stay in the country.
Today (March 28), Francisco Nogueira Leite, head of state companies Parvalorem and Parups – which inherited the Mirós from disgraced BPN bank – will be meeting with art director Carlos Cabral Nunes, responsible for the growing movements of art enthusiasts who are appalled at the thought of the paintings being lost. Cabral’s online petition has already amassed over 10,200 signatures.
Leite told Público newspaper yesterday that the meeting is expected to involve “a natural exchange of impressions and points of view”.
“Parvalorem and Christie’s have a contract drawn up in good faith on both sides which envisions the organisation of an auction taking place in June,” he added. “This is the only real fact that I can confirm.”
Nonetheless, earlier this week Socialist politician and former culture minister Gabriela Canavilhas presented parliament with Cabral’s petition saying “there are solutions in course, involving politicians and businesspeople” trying to save the works for the nation.
Talking to Lusa news agency, she said the solutions were “on the Prime Minister’s table”, inferring that Passos Coelho would be making a statement “soon”.
Huge controversy has surrounded the Mirós since the government tried to release them for sale at Christie’s two months ago. BPN originally purchased them for a total of €82.5 million – a sum Christie’s has said was vastly over-rated.
The paintings are expected to make half that at auction – nonetheless, the cash-strapped government has said they have to go, as the money made from the sale will “benefit the taxpayer”, while the cost of keeping the paintings is extortionate.
Since their purchase, the extraordinary works have languished in storage, never having been displayed in Portugal.
Quizzed on their worth when BPN went belly-up, the bank’s former chief executive officer José Oliveira e Costa told a parliamentary hearing: “They were a good deal. Those paintings are money, don’t forget that.”
Last February’s much-publicised sale was pulled at the 11th hour after “legal uncertainties” prompted Christie’s to cancel.
