Rio de Janeiro, reconstruction of National Museum starts three years after fire

Start of the reconstruction of the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, which was destroyed by a devastating fire in 2018 in which most of the collections were lost. The fire had been caused by a short-circuit in the air conditioning system, which exposed gross negligence on the necessary maintenance front. The museum was housed in the sumptuous Paço de São Cristóvão (Palace of St. Christopher), an early 19th-century neoclassical building built between 1819 and 1821 to a design by Pierre-Joseph Pézerat: it was the residence of Brazil’s emperors until 1889, when in a coup d’état the last emperor, Peter II, was deposed; it was then in 1891 the seat of Brazil’s constituent assembly, and in 1892 it became the home of the National Museum.

Reconstruction work officially began on Friday, November 12, and it is scheduled to reopen to the public in 2026, but the hope in Brazil is to recover the facade by September 7, 2022, the year of the bicentennial of the country’s independence. The start of the reconstruction so far behind schedule (three years) is due to a lack of funds, and still to date the museum has raised only 65 percent of the resources earmarked for the project, which amount to 385 million Brazilian reais (roughly 61 million euros), most of which came from the Banco nacional do desenvolvimento (BNDES) and Fundação Vale.

Reconstruction will begin with the very facade and roof, both of which were severely damaged during the dramatic fire. “Today,” Director Alexander Kellner told the local press, “we begin to turn the page after one of the greatest tragedies that has happened in science and culture in our country.” However, the real undertaking will be to fill the museum: indeed, a two-hundred-year-old collection that mostly went up in smoke overnight cannot be recovered in a short time. On this front, the National Museum of Brazil will need international help.

All this, Kellner stressed to Agência Brasil, “with the certainty that the work will be done in an articulated way with the development of projects in architecture, restoration, landscaping and museography, with national and international support. Despite the difficult times we are experiencing, this is a date to be celebrated by all, especially those who study in Brazil.”

“This work we are beginning,” Denise Pires de Carvalho, dean of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), also pointed out to Agência Brasil, “is the result of the strong governance structure we have established with different partners and sponsors to realize the dream of having the Imperial Palace of the National Museum back, fully restored and open to the public. And may new partners join the project, strengthening this initiative.”

The reconstruction is made possible through the Museu Nacional Vive project(www.museunacionalvive.org.br), involving UFRJ, UNESCO and Vale Cultural Institute with sponsorship from BNDES, Bradesco and Fundação Vale, with support from the Ministry of Education, the Federal Bank of Rio de Janeiro, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal Government. The project also includes the renovation and expansion of the Museum’s Library, the construction of the Research Campus, and protective works on the assets of the palace and Jardim das Princesas.

Rio de Janeiro, reconstruction of National Museum starts three years after fire

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