UNESCO will assist in the recovery of cultural assets in Brasilia.
The Unesco has joined the Ministry of Culture of Brazil in the recovery of cultural heritage of Brasilia after the protesters broke into government facilities on January 8, 2023, damaging works of art and destroying architectural features of international importance.
UNESCO released his statements following media reports that the mafia in Brasilia damaged numerous works of art, including sculptures, paintings and a stained glass window, when they stormed government buildings.
“These are criminal acts that damage our public heritage,” José Nascimento, former president of the Brazilian Institute of Museums (IBRAM), told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. According to media reports, the rioters could be investigated for looting public property and desecrating listed property.
Aims to overthrow the elected government
Nearly two years after the storming of the United States Capitol in Washington, thousands of supporters of Brazil’s far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro, stormed the government district of Brasilia on January 8, storming Congress and other buildings. Once inside Congress, they vandalized the building, graffitied the walls and flooded parts of the building.
The attack is considered a coup attempt: while organizing the attack, the rioters had formed chat groups with names like “seizure of power”.
“The terrorists who invaded the Planalto Palace this Sunday razed and destroyed an important part of the artistic and architectural heritage there, which represents a significant chapter of our national history,” read a statement from the presidency.
Although many of the invaders had wrapped themselves in Brazilian flags or wore the jersey of the national soccer team, they clearly did not care much for their country’s culture or history. In the gallery of all the Brazilian heads of state, the paintings were torn from the walls, thrown on the floor and “completely destroyed”.
What was destroyed?
Among the damaged works of art is the “Araguaia” stained glass window, designed by Marianne Peretti in 1977. The artist, who died last year, was the only woman on the team of architect Oscar Niemeyer, a pioneer of modern Brazilian architecture.
Di Cavalcanti’s 1962 painting “As mulattas,” the main work in the Planalto Palace’s Hall of Nobility, featured seven cracks of varying sizes after attacks by rioters.
The bronze sculpture “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” by Bruno Jorge was completely destroyed and found scattered around the room, authorities say. A wooden wall sculpture by Frans Krajcberg was damaged in several places. The desk of former President Juscelino Kubitscheck, during whose tenure Brasilia was founded and became the capital, was used by rioters as a barricade.
“The value of what was destroyed is immeasurable for the history it represents. The collection as a whole represents all the presidents who have represented the Brazilian people during this long period,” the Portuguese news agency Lusa quoted the director of the Patronato de the Presidential Palaces, Rogerio Carvalho.
It may interest you: Bolsonarists damaged works of art during protests in Brazil
The Plaza of the Three Powers (“Praca dos Tres Poderes”) houses the Presidential Palace of the Planalto, the National Congress and the Supreme Court, which represent the three branches of a democratic government: the executive, the legislative and the judicial. The architects Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa began designing the square in the late 1950s, and the buildings in this square were included in the list of the National, Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute in 2007. The capital city of Brasilia has been World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1987.
Follow us on Google news, Facebook Y Twitter to keep you informed with today’s news!
