According to Berardo, the acquisition of the collection - representing 153 ethnic groups from sub-Saharan Africa - was under negotiation with the artist's heirs for four years, and took effect this week, but he declined to say how much he had paid for the collection.

The collection is also made up of fabrics, pieces of furniture and musical instruments, including masks and sculptures from Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Guinea.

Berardo already has a vast collection of African art that is spread across his private museums in Bacalhoa, Azeitão, the Underground Museum, in Anadia, linked to wine tourism, and in Madeira.

Asked by Lusa about the future of the African Art Collection of Eduardo Nery, and if he plans to create a museum exclusively for this area, in Portugal, Berardo said he has "this very special project" in mind, and that it will announced "in due time."

"I have a special affection for Africa and for African culture, and so I am acquiring the collections of people who dedicated their lives to collecting and investigating it, as was the case of Eduardo Nery," he said.

Nery collected African art, not because he had a special connection to the continent, but, as he explained in the interviews he gave, because he had an "emotional and spiritual connection" with African pieces, because of the fascination he had for these civilizations.

Born in Figueira da Foz, the painter began to take an interest in African culture at a very young age, first through Jazz, and later on visits to museums and in books.

Throughout 2009, the Lisbon Town Hall presented exhibitions of some of the greatest collectors of African art in Portugal, including José Berardo, Eduardo Nery and José Guimarães, at Pátio da Galé.