The Art Newspaper

Miami Beach could get even more Art Deco

Portuguese billionaire keen to lend works

By Gareth Harris. From Art Basel Miami Beach daily edition
Published online: 08 December 2012

José Berardo

The Portuguese billionaire José Berardo (right) says he hopes to lend his collection of more than 300 Art Deco works to a Miami-based institution for up to five years. Berardo, the chairman of the investments company Metalgest, owns paintings, statues, ceramics, glass and silverware by major Art Deco designers, such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and René Jules Lalique.

The entrepreneur has close links with the Miami art world, and an exhibition of works from his Modern and contemporary collection, including pieces by Richter, Bacon and Warhol, is on show at the Gary Nader Art Centre in Wynwood (until 30 March 2013). At the opening this week, Berardo said: “We’ve been talking about loaning my Art Deco collection to a Miami institution for years. If the right place can be found, I could lend the works for up to five years. The one condition is that the city does not charge visitors to see an exhibition of works drawn from my collection.”

The mayor of Miami, Tomás Regalado, has welcomed Berardo’s offer. Meanwhile, Cathy Leff, the director of the Wolfsonian-FIU, says she “could be interested in discussing possibilities” with the collector.