MON holds an exhibition of African art with pieces recently added to its collection

The exhibition “Africa, Artistic Expressions of a Continent”, performed by Oscar Niemeyer Museum, presented by Copel and made possible by the government of the State of Paraná, can be seen by the public from 31 August, in the room 4. It is an excerpt from the grandiose donation made by the Ivani and Jorge Yunes Collection (CIJY) ao MY.

In total, are approximately 1.700 works from one of the most important and significant collections of African art objects of the century 20, which now belong to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum collection and, Consequently, to the State of Paraná.

The General Superintendent of Culture, Luciana Casagrande Pereira, celebrates the incorporation of the set of works as another milestone for MON. “It is a great privilege for the State of Paraná to receive such a representative collection of African art. In addition to strengthening the importance of MON as a repository of large collections, shows the curator's sensitive eye for indistinct art, wide and diverse", says Luciana.

“The arrival of the African art collection is part of a process of consolidation of MON's benchmark, which establishes as a differential of the institution to prioritize the collection of art from Paraná and Brazil and to expand its non-Eurocentric view of Latin American art, Asian and African”, explains the CEO of MON, Julian Vosnik. "We are incessantly seeking to increase the collection, for there is the soul of a museum, its essence", comments.

Juliana remembers that, in 2018, MON was the museum chosen for its technical conditions, management capacity and credibility of the institution to receive a donation of almost 3 thousand works of asian art. Donated by diplomat and professor Fausto Godoy and from several countries on that continent, part of the works can be seen by MON visitors in the exhibition “Asia: the land, men, the gods", in the room 5.

Largest art museum in Latin America in built area, with 35 thousand square meters, MON has tripled its collection in recent years. since it opened, in 2002, and up 2015, MON had about 3 thousand works. Currently, has more than 9.300 works in your collection.

African exhibition

According to the curator of the exhibition “Africa, Artistic Expressions of a Continent”, Renato Araujo da Silva, the works donated to MON were acquired over more than 50 years by the couple Ivani and Jorge Yunes, holders of one of the largest art collections in Brazil.

"With the exhibition of objects from such different cultural heritages, here we find an important point in common: inside the museum, these arts are raised to the same artistic platform, equaling African art to the level of world art”, says. "Here's a way to honor the visual ancestry of the past and open new plantings, routes and perspectives of this art in the future”, comments Renato.

Are part of the exhibition: More expensive, sculptures, bronze busts and heads, metallic miniatures, everyday objects and musical instruments.

The works originate from countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique, among others.

Renato Araújo da Silva is a historian in Philosophy from the University of São Paulo and co-author, among other published works, from the book “Africa in Arts”. Curator and researcher, worked at the Afro Museum and performed other exhibitions in museums, such as the Sacred Art of São Paulo.

ABOUT THE WORLD

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) belongs to the State of Paraná. The institution houses important references of national and international artistic production in the areas of visual arts, architecture and design, in addition to the most significant Asian collection in Latin America. In total, the collection has more than 9 thousand pieces, housed in a space greater than 35 1000 square meters of built area, being 17 thousand square meters of exhibition area, what makes MON the largest art museum in Latin America. The main sponsors of the institution, companies that believe in the transforming role of art and culture, are: Copel, Sanepar, Volvo Latin America Group and Anaconda Mill.