Time.news – Supporters of former President Bolsonaro who attacked the headquarters of the presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court on Sunday caused damage to numerous works of art that were in the palaces, some irreparable, and whose value is “incalculable” according to expert checks.
The monumental work “As mulatas”, by the Brazilian painter Di Cavalcante and a pendulum clock that King John VI of Portugal received as a gift from the French monarch Louis XIV in the 18th century appear in the lists of destroyed or damaged works.
The damages are not limited to the works that decorated the halls of the Presidential Palace of Planalto, owner of one of the main collections of Brazilian modernist art in the country, but also affected paintings, sculptures and historic furnishings that were in Congress and the Federal Supreme Court.
“The terrorists who invaded Palazzo Planalto looted and destroyed an important part of the artistic and architectural heritage which represents an important chapter in national history”, reads a note from the presidency. “The value of what has been destroyed is incalculable for the history it represents”, admitted the director of the Curadurìa de los Palacios Presidenciales, Rogerio Carvalho, according to whom it is possible, even if expensive, to recover most of the works. Carvalho considers “very difficult” only the restoration of the clock that belonged to King John VI, whose author is the French watchmaker Balthazar Martinot and of whose productions only one other example remains in the Palace of Versailles. In addition to damaging the artistic heritage, the followers of Bolsonaro, who do not recognize the victory of the progressive Luiz Inàcio Lula da Silva in the October presidential elections and are calling for a coup to oust him, have also caused architectural damage to the three buildings built by the Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer. The huge windows of the three palaces were completely destroyed and several columns and walls were damaged or smeared.
According to an initial and partial assessment of the presidency, among the damaged works is “Bandeira do Brasil” (1995), by the Brazilian Jorge Eduardo, found in a puddle that flooded the first floor of the presidency after the vandals left the fire hydrants open. The painting “As mulatas” by Di Cavalcanti, valued at around 1.5 million dollars and which decorates the Sala Nobile of Palazzo Planalto, a few meters from President Lula’s studio, is divided into seven parts with sharp objects. Bruno Jorge’s “O Pied Piper” sculpture, worth about $50,000, is entirely destroyed, while a wooden sculpture by Frans Krajcberg was badly damaged. Among the damaged works also the desk of President Juscelino Kubitscheck (1956-1961), who designed and founded Brasilia, and the sculpture “Apocalyptic Venus” by Argentina’s Marta Minujìn.
In the Congress venue, the list includes the “Araguaia” stained glass window, by Marianne Peretti, which decorated the Green Room of the Lower Chamber and which has been totally destroyed; the bronze sculpture “A Ballerina”, by Victor Brecheret has disappeared; a sculpture by Athos Bulcao was also damaged. All the gifts from foreign authorities that were displayed on the showcases and even a soccer ball with the autograph of the famous striker Neymar and which was part of an exhibition on the Qatar 2022 World Cup were also stolen from the Legislative Assembly.
In the headquarters of the Supreme Court, the monumental sculpture “A Justica” by Alfredo Ceschiatti was attacked, smeared; the sculptures of historical figures that were in the “Hall of the Busts” and a carpet that belonged to Princess Isabella, daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. In the court building, the chairs used by the magistrates and designed by the architect Jorge Zalszupin and the historic coat of arms of the Republic that decorated the main wall of the plenary court were destroyed.