On December 15, 2021, MAC Niterói hosted the exhibition "Democracia em Disputa", held by the Institute of Democracy and Democratization of Communication, which addressed the comings and goings of the Brazilian democratic process. At that moment, through dozens of historical photographic images, the museum brought to its space one of the most current debates in our country.
With the events that took place in Brasília-DF on January 8, 2023, we were sure that the approach outlined in 2021 was more than current. With the invasion of the National Congress, the Planalto Palace and the Federal Supreme Court, the headquarters of the three powers of the Brazilian Republic, and the attempted coup d'état, we could observe the dispute of the democratic process taking place. Whether through security cameras or social media posts via cell phones of those who participated in the coup act, we were able to follow "on time" the development of the facts.
The destruction of several works of art in the three locations demonstrated, for us, the contempt of those people for Brazilian art, for our history and our heritage. The attack on the art and culture of a people is typical of authoritarian and anti-democratic regimes. At that moment, the recovery and restoration work of the destroyed artistic heritage has been carried out by competent professionals in the field of restoration.
The preservation, appreciation and documentation of art is one of the priority functions of a museum. MAC Niterói's mission is also to stimulate reflection and critical thinking about art, society, environment and culture. Our collection consists of more than 1,500 works by contemporary Brazilian artists, divided into two collections: João Sattamini and MAC Niterói, with the museology and conservation sector responsible for preserving these works, which are so important not only for the museum, but mainly for our people. It is by knowing and preserving its culture and historical heritage that a people is strengthened.
Following this commitment, we bring to the public the exhibition "Invasion: the art of democracy" in homage to two artists who were vandalized in the invasion of Brasília: Franz Krajcberg and Athos Bulcão. Here, the visitor will be able to learn a little about these two great artists, based on works belonging to the João Sattamini Collection. Krajcberg (1921-2017) was born in Poland and became a naturalized Brazilian. Sculptor, painter, engraver and photographer, he used elements of nature in his works. He came to Brazil in 1948, fleeing World War II, after his entire family was murdered in a concentration camp by the Nazi government. He was an environmental activist, associating his art with the defense of the environment. His work "Galhos e Sombras" was one of those destroyed by vandals and it will be difficult to recover it completely.
Athos Bulcão (1918-2008) was born in Rio de Janeiro. Painter and sculptor, he stands out as one of the main artists of our country, especially for the integration of art to architecture, working on the relations of space with landscape and nature. His main works were developed for public spaces, such as murals and panels, Brasília being one of the iconic places of his work: all palaces in Brasília have some work by Bulcão. His work "Muro Escultórico" was one of the works vandalized in the invasion of the Chamber of Deputies and is undergoing a complex restoration process.
This exhibition is, therefore, the symbiosis of what we seek in our daily lives: the construction of a museum that intends to be a space for contemporary art and also for contemporary debates. MAC Niterói continues to be a place for the defense of democracy, the preservation of memory and the confrontation of all forms of intolerance.
"We are the heirs of na immense, immensely beautiful, immensely rich parto f the Earth that unfortunately we have mismanaged more than fertilized. So great is this degradation that today the main task is to sabe all the prodigious beauty of Nature that has managed to survive predatory action."
Darcy Ribeiro
Publicado em 12/05/2023
With the events that took place in Brasília-DF on January 8, 2023, we were sure that the approach outlined in 2021 was more than current. With the invasion of the National Congress, the Planalto Palace and the Federal Supreme Court, the headquarters of the three powers of the Brazilian Republic, and the attempted coup d'état, we could observe the dispute of the democratic process taking place. Whether through security cameras or social media posts via cell phones of those who participated in the coup act, we were able to follow "on time" the development of the facts.
The destruction of several works of art in the three locations demonstrated, for us, the contempt of those people for Brazilian art, for our history and our heritage. The attack on the art and culture of a people is typical of authoritarian and anti-democratic regimes. At that moment, the recovery and restoration work of the destroyed artistic heritage has been carried out by competent professionals in the field of restoration.
The preservation, appreciation and documentation of art is one of the priority functions of a museum. MAC Niterói's mission is also to stimulate reflection and critical thinking about art, society, environment and culture. Our collection consists of more than 1,500 works by contemporary Brazilian artists, divided into two collections: João Sattamini and MAC Niterói, with the museology and conservation sector responsible for preserving these works, which are so important not only for the museum, but mainly for our people. It is by knowing and preserving its culture and historical heritage that a people is strengthened.
Following this commitment, we bring to the public the exhibition "Invasion: the art of democracy" in homage to two artists who were vandalized in the invasion of Brasília: Franz Krajcberg and Athos Bulcão. Here, the visitor will be able to learn a little about these two great artists, based on works belonging to the João Sattamini Collection. Krajcberg (1921-2017) was born in Poland and became a naturalized Brazilian. Sculptor, painter, engraver and photographer, he used elements of nature in his works. He came to Brazil in 1948, fleeing World War II, after his entire family was murdered in a concentration camp by the Nazi government. He was an environmental activist, associating his art with the defense of the environment. His work "Galhos e Sombras" was one of those destroyed by vandals and it will be difficult to recover it completely.
Athos Bulcão (1918-2008) was born in Rio de Janeiro. Painter and sculptor, he stands out as one of the main artists of our country, especially for the integration of art to architecture, working on the relations of space with landscape and nature. His main works were developed for public spaces, such as murals and panels, Brasília being one of the iconic places of his work: all palaces in Brasília have some work by Bulcão. His work "Muro Escultórico" was one of the works vandalized in the invasion of the Chamber of Deputies and is undergoing a complex restoration process.
This exhibition is, therefore, the symbiosis of what we seek in our daily lives: the construction of a museum that intends to be a space for contemporary art and also for contemporary debates. MAC Niterói continues to be a place for the defense of democracy, the preservation of memory and the confrontation of all forms of intolerance.
"We are the heirs of na immense, immensely beautiful, immensely rich parto f the Earth that unfortunately we have mismanaged more than fertilized. So great is this degradation that today the main task is to sabe all the prodigious beauty of Nature that has managed to survive predatory action."
Darcy Ribeiro
Publicado em 12/05/2023