An exhibition shows articles rescued from National Museum fire

Locals and tourists can now check out about 103 articles rescued from the fire that destroyed the main building of the National Museum last September. The collection, plus 77 items that were not at the institution’s building at the occasion, are part of the “Museu Nacional Vive – Arqueologia do Resgate” (“National Museum Lives – Rescue Archaeology”) exhibition on display at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB) until April 29. The highlight this free-entry exhibition is the Santa Luzia Meteorite that fell in the countryside of Brazil in 1922.

“Presenting to the audience part of the work to rescue the National Museum collection is something very special not only for CCBB but for the entire population, that witnessed and suffered from the fire that destroyed 200 years of history. With this exhibition, we celebrate the rebirth of this museum”, says Rio de Janeiro CCBB general manager, Marcelo Fernandes.

With the curatorship of the National Museum, the exhibition covers all research areas of the institution: Anthropology, Botany, Entomology, Geology and Paleontology, Invertebrates and Vertebrates. The large hall on the second floor features the Rescue Archeology, in which recovered pieces guide the display alongside other preserved items. The skull of a Black caiman has been rescued from the debris and is one of the highlights of the display. In addition to it, the exhibition also features other recovered copies from D. Pedro II and the Empress Teresa Cristina’s collections.

National Museum director, Alexander Kellner, says the initial pessimism now gives way to the confidence that much will be recovered: “What could have survived the gigantic and intense flames that destroyed much of the palace? Thanks to an intense and heroic work, today we can see some of the material rescued and, fortunately, there is still much more to come. This exhibition is a clear demonstration that the National Museum lives”. By the end of March, emergency works in the National Museum building will be completed and a provisional roof will be installed.