The José Berardo Collection in Río de Janeiro

Portuguese collector José Manuel Rodrigues-Berardo, known for having created the largest private Collection of Art Deco in the world, as well as an important collection of modern and contemporary artworks, has confirmed in a recent interview with the Art Newspaper that he plans to build a museum in Río de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2011, to house his collection. In 2006, Rodrigues-Berardo signed an agreement in which the Portuguese government pledged to exhibit his collection at the Belém Cultural Center (CCB), in Lisbon for a period of 10 years, with the option of reaching another agreement to extend this period and to create a Museum in Portugal eventually to house the collection permanently. Because of the economic and political situation of the country, the Portuguese collector stated that "(...) the Portuguese government has other priorities. From a practical standpoint, why would they care to go forward with building a Museum when they simply can just extend the loan?¿ (The Art Newspaper, February 11, 2010). Rodrigues-Berardo is currently looking for a space for his new museum in the city of Río de Janeiro, Brazil. His collection consists of a vast list of artworks by Latin American artists, including works by José Bedía, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Jesús Rafael Soto, Julio Larraz, Emilio Petorutti, Diego Rivera, Tomas Sánchez, Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Zúñiga, and Armando Morales, among others. More information at: http://mirror.berardocollection.com