This manuscript makes reference to an article by Greek-Argentinean painter Héctor Páride Bernabó (1911−97)—known as Carybé—that was published in the popular magazine Manchete (August 26).
Lina Bo Bardi (née Achillina Bo, 1914−92), an Italian architect who settled in Brazil after World War II, expresses her frustration about the dire deficiencies of the institutions where she worked in Bahia. This text was written soon after the coup that would establish a military dictatorship in Brazil for [the subsequent] twenty-one years. Bo Bardi lived in Salvador, capital of the State of Bahia, from 1959 to 1964, the years when she directed both the Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia (MAMB) and the Museu de Arte Popular (MAP). The foundation of MAP, a museum that houses the best crafts from the entire country, was a result of her profound interest in the preservation of the material culture of this region of northeastern Brazil. Her earlier work at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), where she was the head of programming and education, and later as the director of MAMB, demonstrate her commitment to art historical exhibitions. She was also responsible for organizing exhibitions with a wide range of contemporary artists from Brazil and elsewhere, and for efforts that placed emphasis on popular culture from northeastern Brazil. All of these concerns culminated in her work at MAP in 1963.
A CIA-supported military coup ousted President João Goulart on April 1, 1964, ushering in a long period of military dictatorship (1964–85) in which the civil rights enjoyed by the population under democracy were suspended, specifically by means of violent censorship and an end to free expression, for among others, artists and intellectuals.
In this manuscript, Lina Bo Bardi asserts that in her efforts as the director of MAMB, she was thoroughly isolated insofar as she received no support whatsoever from the conservative and elitist local artist class. The sudden interruption of her work on the local cultural scene was due to the coup of 1964 that would place an iron grip on life in Brazil for two decades.
For related texts, see Lina Bo Bardi’s “O Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia” [doc. no. 1110860]; on the implementation of the Plano de Artesanato Popular “[Letter] 1963 maio 1, Salvador, Bahia [to] Lomanto Júnior, Governo do Estado da Bahia” [doc. no. 1110865]; “Um dos mais importantes acontecimentos culturais dos últimos tempos” [doc. no. 1110870]; and “Diretório acadêmico Rocha Pombo do Paraná. Entrevista” [doc. no. 1110867].
For additional information, see Glauber Rocha’s “MAMB Não é Museu: é Escola e Movimento. Por uma Arte Que Não Seja Desligada do Homem” [doc. no. 1110859] (September 21, 1960). (1)