Inauguration of the exhibition ‘The Salt of Democracy: Mário Soares and Culture’

Mário Soares' art and bibliophilia collection can be seen in the exhibition “The Salt of Democracy: Mário Soares and Culture”, which was inaugurated on 5 December at Casa de Serralves in Porto. As part of the celebrations for Mário Soares' centenary, the ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the diplomatic corps accredited in Lisbon and the secretary-general of the Socialist Party, Pedro Nuno Santos.

The guided tour of the exhibition showed how Mário Soares lived his whole life surrounded by art and culture and how this was inseparable from his fight for freedom and democracy. It thus shows ‘Soares’ inspiring intimacy with culture and those who create it through an anthological selection of works from his art (painting, drawing, sculpture, tapestry, engraving) and bibliophilia (rare books, first editions, manuscripts) collections’, according to the curators, José Manuel dos Santos and Pedro Marques Gomes.

The exhibition will be on show at Casa de Serralves until 1 June 2025 and its catalogue will be launched this January.

Take a look at some of the moments that marked the opening in the image gallery.