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FGV Arte and IDP Inaugurate Exhibition on Plateau Art at the National Museum of Brasília

With the support of the National Museum of the Republic, the exhibition explores the emergence of Brasília as a collective work of art and brings together more than 200 works by 128 artists

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FGV Arte and IDP Inaugurate Exhibition on Plateau Art at the National Museum of Brasília

Brasília, the Art of the Plateau Exhibition, curated by Paulo Herkenhoff and co-curated by Sara Seilert, will be inaugurated on Wednesday, September 25, at 7:00 PM at the National Museum of the Republic, in Brasília. Organized by FGV Arte, an experimental space for artistic research at Fundação Getulio Vargas, in partnership with the Brazilian Institute of Education, Development, and Research (IDP), the exhibition will be open until November 24.

Following Brasília, the Art of Democracy, an exhibition held in Rio de Janeiro from April to August, the new exhibit portrays the history of artistic culture on the plateau, its diversity, complexity, and contemporary developments. While the Rio exhibition addressed the transfer of the federal capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília, along with the consolidation of republican structures, this exhibit at the National Museum of the Republic explores the aesthetic dimension of Brasília's emergence, understood as a collective work of art. At the same time, it highlights a cast of cultural agents from both the capital and satellite cities.

“The conceptualization of this exhibition spans a historical arc, from the city's creation to current movements defending democracy and freedom. If Brasília is a remarkable epic on the international stage, its cultural history has unfolded over six decades among residents of Brasília and Brazilians from all corners of the country,” describes Paulo Herkenhoff.

The exhibition also broadens its focus to the present and to the art produced in the Midwest, specifically in the central plateau region where Brasília has stood for over sixty years. Additionally, the project pays tribute to writer Vera Brant, one of the capital's pioneering residents. Her friendship with central figures in Brazilian history, such as anthropologist and UnB founder Darcy Ribeiro, President Juscelino Kubitschek, and poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade, underscores Brant's pivotal role in the social fabric of the capital city.

The guiding idea behind Brasília, the Art of the Plateau was to recreate a grand visual celebration, demonstrating that the federal capital, which extends beyond its political sphere, is intense, expansive, and surprising. “This exhibition also represents a meeting of two curatorial perspectives. Now, Sara Seilert, who used to direct the National Museum of the Republic, and I have combined our viewpoints. So, we sought to produce a fresh perspective on Brasília. It’s no longer just an outsider’s view,” says the curator.

Exhibition

Featuring an impressive lineup of artists, from well-established names in the art market to contemporary talents, the exhibition brings together more than 200 items.

The exhibit includes historical documents, such as the Candango Diploma – awarded to the workers who helped build the new city by Juscelino Kubitschek, Brazil's president from 1955 to 1961, responsible for constructing Brasília and transferring power from Rio de Janeiro to the central plateau; the original sketch of the Plano Piloto signed by Lúcio Costa; and Oscar Niemeyer's manuscript on the JK Monument.

This project represents, according to the curators, “the diversity of contemporary art in the Federal District,” as well as its historical and spontaneous process. Visitors are invited to comprehend the geographical region in all its creative potential.

Located on the Esplanada dos Ministérios, the National Museum of the Republic, intentionally chosen to host the exhibition Brasília, the Art of the Plateau, was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 2006. Its monumental structure features a semi-spherical shape, with a dome measuring 25 meters in radius, a base with a 35.55-meter radius, and a height of 26.25 meters.

The curator also views the federal capital as a feminine place, inspired by Vera Brant and other influential figures who contributed to its creation and history. “I believe there is this perspective on art created by women, especially the sculptures I’ve gathered, and the critical voices of women,” emphasizes Herkenhoff.

Brasília, the Art of the Plateau references indigenous women and their traditional ceramic techniques, as women were the ones responsible for ceramics in the indigenous societies of the Midwest. It also features a remarkable collection by Maria Martins, as Brasília was the city that most effectively placed the sculptor and designer at the forefront of Brazilian imagination and art scenes.

Inspiration and Tribute

Vera Brant (1927–2014) was born in Diamantina, Minas Gerais. She moved to Brasília in 1960 and never left. She was a confidant of JK, a friend of politicians, diplomats, and artists. She helped Darcy Ribeiro establish the University of Brasília, exchanged letters with Carlos Drummond de Andrade, which were compiled in one of her many published books. She lost her public office during the 1964 military dictatorship and later became a real estate entrepreneur.

“She was the first and generous periscope through which we could see Brasília as an extratemporal and extraterritorial network,” says Herkenhoff. Vera wove Brasília together, linking JK, Niemeyer, Athos Bulcão, Darcy Ribeiro, Wladimir Murtinho, UnB, Gilmar Mendes, Zanine Caldas, Rubem Valentim, and Galeno.

Vera Brant’s ability to move across such varied fields of action guided the curatorial team to understand that Brasília, beyond the predominantly male realm of power, is also a feminine city. The exhibition includes a group of female sculptors from Brasília – Maria Martins, Mary Vieira, Marianne Peretti, the Karajá ceramicists, and a nucleus of artisans and sculptors from Planaltina.

On display until November 2024, Brasília, the Art of the Plateau is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Free admission.

FGV Arte

Located at the FGV headquarters in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, FGV Arte is a space dedicated to the promotion, artistic experimentation, and contemporary debates around art and culture, aiming to foster dialogue with creative and diverse sectors of society.
@fgv.arte
fgvarte.com.br
arte@fgv.br

IDP

The Brazilian Institute of Education, Development, and Research (IDP) is a center of excellence in education, research, and extension with campuses in Brasília and São Paulo. Established over 20 years ago, it is one of Brazil's most respected higher education institutions, directly contributing to the country’s social, political, and economic transformations.
@sejaidp
idp.edu.br
eventos.idp@idp.edu.br

National Museum of the Republic – Brasília
The National Museum of the Republic is a cultural institution managed by the Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy of the Federal District, a nonprofit organization serving the community and its development. The museum's mission is to promote visual arts to all audiences, engaging them in dialogue, and to serve as a space for encouraging curiosity, visual sensitivity, and knowledge production through activities related to the collection, preservation, research, communication, and education.

@museunacionaldarepublica
museu.cultura.df.gov.br
MUSEU@cultura.df.gov.br

Artists [in alphabetical order]:

Adriana Vignoli; Adriane Kariú; Adriano e Fernando Guimarães; Ailton Krenak; Alberto da Veiga Guignard; Alessandra França; Alfredo Ceschiatti; Alfredo Fontes; Alice Lara; Antonio Obá; Athos Bulcão; Bené Fonteles; Benjamin Silva; Bento Viana; Bernardo Figueiredo; Betty Bettiol; Bruno Faria; Bruno Giorgi; Caio Reisewitz; Camila Soato; Candida Höfer; Carppio de Morais; César Becker; Chico Amaral; Christus Nóbrega; Cildo Meireles; Clarice Gonçalves; Dadá do Barro; Daiara Tukano; Danyella Proença; Dirceu Maués; Edu Simões; Elder Rocha; Evandro Prado; Evandro Salles; Fernando Lindote; Francisco Galeno; Frans Krajcberg; Fred Lamego; Fulvio Roiter; Gabriela Biló; Gê Orthof; Glênio Bianchetti; Gregório Soares; Grupo Poro; Gu da Cei; Guy Veloso; Hal Wildson; Hassan Bourkia; Helô Sanvoy; Isabela Couto; Ismael Monticelli; João Angelini; João Trevisan; Joaquim Paiva; Jonathas de Andrade; Josafá Neves; José Ivacy; José Roberto Bassul; Juvenal Pereira; Kazuo Okubo; Kurt Klagsbrunn; Lêda Watson; Leo Tavares; Leonardo Finotti; Luciana Paiva; Lucio Costa; Luiz Alphonsus; Luiz Cancio; Luiz Mauro; Marcel Duchamp; Marcela Campos; Marcio Borsoi; Maria Bonomi; Maria do Barro; Maria Martins; Marianne Peretti; Mary Vieira; Miguel Rio Branco; Milan Dusek; Milton Guran; Milton Ribeiro; Nelson Maravalhas; Nicolas Behr; Orlando Brito; Oscar Niemeyer; Osvaldo Carvalho; Patrícia Bagniewski; Paulo Bruscky; Paulo Roberto Santos; Paulo Werneck; Pedro Motta; Quinca Moreira; Rafael Prado; Raissa Studart; Ralph Gehre; Regina Pessoa; Reynaldo Candia; Ricardo Stuckert; Roberto Burle Marx; Roberto Polidori; Rochelle Costi; Romulo Andrade; Rosângela Rennó; Rubem Valentim; Sebastião Reis; Sergio Adriano H; Sergio Augusto Porto; Sergio Rodrigues; Sérgio Veja; Severina Gonçalves; Shevan Lopes; Siron Franco; Talles Lopes; Todd Eberle; Tomas Kellner; TT Catalão; Usha Velasco; Vik Muniz; Vitor Schietti; Wagner Barja; Wagner Hermuche; Walter Sanches; Wilson Piran; Xadalu Tupã Jekupé; Xico Chaves; Zanine Caldas; e Zuleika de Souza. 

Event Information: Exhibition: Brasília, the Art of the Plateau

National Museum of the Republic, Brasília — DF
Sector Cultural Sul, Lot 2
Near Plano Piloto Bus Station | Brasília – DF
Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Free admission
On display until November 24, 2024