To commemorate the centenary of Mário Soares, the Serralves Foundation is presenting the exhibition The Salt of Democracy—Mário Soares and Culture, which brings together works from his art collection and the bibliophilic rarities he collected: autographs, first editions of classic works and books dedicated to him, among others. Its purpose is to emphasize that culture was always the inspiring foundation of Mário Soares' life and civic and political action, as he considered it a source of renewal which created democracy.

To complement the exhibition, Serralves presents an illustrated book with images from this vast and relevant art collection, documents and many others, along with some reflections and testimonies on Mário Soares' relationship with art and literature and on his career, which marked Portuguese political and social history. Organised by the exhibition's curators, José Manuel dos Santos and Pedro Marques Gomes, the book includes contributions by Álvaro Siza, Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins, Isabel Soares, João Pinharanda, João Soares, Lídia Jorge, Manuel Alegre and Viriato Soromenho-Marques.