The Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro is a reference institution for art and culture in the country. Founded in 1948, it has one of the most relevant collections of modern and contemporary art in Latin America, with more than 16 thousand works. It received temporary headquarters, such as the Gustavo Capanema Palace, until it was installed in the building recognized as a landmark of modern world architecture, designed by architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy, in an area donated by the City Hall.
One of the reflections of the early 20th century project to transform the city into “Paris in the Tropics”, the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, opened in 1909, is one of the most important theaters in Brazil and South America, the stage for major concerts , operas and ballets. The place was also a landmark for important events in the history of black resistance in Rio, with the presence of dancer and choreographer Mercedes Baptista (the first black woman to join the institution's corps de ballet) and the debut of Teatro Experimental do Negro in 1945.
Photos: Thiago Diniz
One of the cultural landmarks located in Lapa is the Sala Cecília Meireles, opened in 1965, and named in honor of the writer, journalist, teacher and painter Cecília Meireles, considered one of the most important poets in Brazil. The building has had different functions throughout history and is currently one of the most traditional concert halls in the country, recognized for its acoustics, one of the best in Latin America.
Photo: Thiago Diniz
Based at Fundição Progresso, the Petrobras Symphony Orchestra is one of the most renowned in the country and in Latin America, created in 1972 by maestro Armando Prazeres and promoted through a partnership with Petrobras, a major investor in the field of arts. With more than 80 instrumentalists and being the only orchestra in the country managed by its own musicians, it offers socio-educational projects and many free and low-price concerts that democratize access to classical music in dialogue with popular music.
Adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio) is the Aterro do Flamengo, one of the city's largest landscape landmarks and leisure complexes, which, like the museum, contains gardens designed by Roberto Burle Marx, always mentioned when the subject is modernist landscaping in Brazil. However, little is said about Lota de Macedo Soares, a self-taught architect and urban planner who conceived and coordinated the project team responsible for creating Aterro do Flamengo.
The Cinelândia Cultural Quadrangle, created based on a law proposed by the City Council (Law 7,895/2023), was recently included in the municipality's tourist and cultural itinerary. The objective is to promote integration between historic buildings such as Theatro Municipal, Cine Odeon, Biblioteca Nacional, Centro Cultural da Justiça Federal and Palácio Pedro Ernesto located in Cinelândia, to preserve history and guarantee improvements in the infrastructure of those that have been part of life for years. of the population.
Throughout the history of Brazil, many men were honored on paper money, but only two women: Princess Isabel and Cecília Meireles. The latter was printed on the 100 Cruzados that circulated between 1989 and 1992, becoming the first and only literary woman to print a national banknote. On the back of the note, there was an engraving representing the child's playful universe at the time of learning.
The Fundição Progresso building, headquarters of the Petrobras Symphony Orchestra, was built in 1881 and housed the Progresso Stove Factory until 1976, which produced various iron, steel and other metal products. Due to a construction project for a large avenue, the factory was expropriated for demolition, but in the 1980s a group of cultural activists obtained ownership and financing to transform the space into a cultural center and concert hall.
The Cinematheque of the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, the second oldest in operation in the country, which functions as a center of heritage and audiovisual memory, is open to the public to show various films. The program can be accessed through the link https://mam.rio/cinemateca/agenda/este-mes/
The award-winning Focus Cia de Dança, with several shows in its repertoire presented in Brazil and several other countries, is a success with the public! Its headquarters in Praça Tiradentes has become a reference center for contemporary dance. Through Instagram @focusciadedanca it is possible to follow the company's programming and actions.
Podcast developed by the team from the Arts Research residency at the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, which welcomes artists and researchers to the museum, creating situations of dialogue between professionals in the field of art and contributing to the training of these professionals and their positions in relation to the dynamics of make and circulate art. To listen to the episodes, visit https://mam.rio/podcast-pesquisa-em-artes/
