More than 80 paintings by Spanish artist Joan Miro became the property of the Portuguese state after the private bank Banco Portugues de Negocios (BPN) was on the verge of bankruptcy

More than 80 paintings by Spanish artist Joan Miro (Joan Miro) transferred the ownership of the Portuguese state after the private bank Banco Portugues de Negocios (BPN) was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Back in July the bank was going to put a collection of Miro at the auction and even Christie's, invited the experts to evaluate them. The main question, which then guide muchil BPN, - to sell the paintings one lot or in parts. The Bank, in dire need of money, modestly estimated collection of 82 paintings of 150 million euros.

In the meantime, all three paintings by Miro, in 2007 sold at auction in Paris and London, the owners received a 27.6 million euro, far exceeded initial estimates. For example, in December 2007 canvas «Blue Star» with an initial price of € 5 million was spent over 11.6 million.

But the financial crisis are confused card. As a result, the collection was laid by short-term loan of 200 million euro, which has agreed to provide bank Caixa Geral de Depositos (CGD), owned by the Government for 100 per cent. October 15, when the term of the loan has expired, and the financial situation of BPN only worsened, the State Bank has decided to immediately transfer the entire collection in its central office in Lisbon, which had to be used several armored vehicles. «We had to ensure respect for the interests of the State», - quotes the bank's representatives Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha, journalists who managed to finally find out what happened to the pictures.

In mid-October, when the collection was moved from near-bankruptcy of the bank, its fate was still very unclear, and November 2, the government announced the nationalization of BPN. This was the first since 1975 a decision on the nationalization of Portugal, and it had to approve the parliament.

Along with paintings by Miro state-owned bank CGD inherited a large collection of Egyptian antiquities, which are collected BPN founder José de Oliveira-e-Costa. He is also obliged to Portugal and Miro collection: namely, on the initiative and Oliveira-Costa BPN has provided loans amounting to about 75 million euros of Spanish firm, whose name has not been disclosed, on bail of paintings by Miro. Spaniards were not able to pay the debt, and the famous surrealist canvases were in Portugal.

On their plans for paintings by Miro Portuguese Government has not yet been announced.

Collection of works of Spanish painter, near Portugal, is the second largest in the world after assembly Miro Foundation in Barcelona, where the 217 of his works. In Portugal, its not the Louvre or Galleries Uffitstsi, so they find themselves in the country through the crisis could seriously Miro paintings enhance the attractiveness of Lisbon museum collections, recently included a well-known travel guide publisher Lonely Planet to the list of «10 cities in the world that are worth a visit in 2009».

Source: vremya.ru