O Olhar do Colecionador / The Collector's Eye

«The starting point for O Olhar do Colecionador / The Collector's Eye was a number of works in the collection that, despite being less well known to the public, are some of my favourite. It is always a fresh pleasure to rediscover something which have not been seen for some time. For this reason, this is a selection of much-loved pieces and not an exhibition organised around a particular view of art history, although none of these works should be considered merely on a domestic scale.

As in any other exhibition, this one also tells stories about particular groups of works that impress me. Whether through the suggestive power that images acquire in daily life, the more piquant or nostalgic questions surrounding the body, or gesture as a language capable of constructing worlds and ghosts, all of these forms reveal parts of our lives.

I also confess that I have always been attracted by the opulent scale of some modern painting and some of the works that have been chosen reflect this fascination of mine. In this respect, I would single out the sense of total envelopment provided by Marc Chagall’s backdrop for Mozart’s Magic Flute, or Frank Stella's Severambia. This exhibition therefore invites visitors to partake in this experience of unbridled imagination and recognition of life itself.» — José Berardo