The resignation of David Santos, the director of the Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado (MNAC-MC) in Lisbon, drew dozens of protesters to the museum this summer. Santos told the Público newspaper he was resigning over “irreparable differences” with the department of culture. His departure on 8 July came just a week before the opening of a new wing that houses an exhibition of works from the state-owned Coleção da Secretaria de Estado da Cultura (SEC), the country’s largest collection of contemporary art. The collection was due to be transferred permanently to the Lisbon museum, but the arrangement was revoked after a dispute over exhibition materials. Santos could not be reached for comment.
