The Museums - Take Two

The next day arrives and again I devote my morning to the Art Museum. This time though, it is my Lonely Planet guide that stumps me, telling me that it is open earlier than it actually is. Having only a few hours to spare before a tour of the favelas (slums), I end up tossing the gallery in for a look at the Historical Museum uptown. And what a strange collection it is.

In the first room, I wander through the indigenous story of Brazil, awed at the beautiful headdresses and jewellery on display. Then it is through what I could only assume was the tale of city progress, (each room has a mix of translations, ranging from extremely eloquent, to barely legible, to totally non-existent) seen through the technological changes in transport – namely the horse-drawn carriages that graced the streets in the mid-1800s.

The next room holds a pretty decent display of the weapons of war that have shaped Brazil’s history, with everything from guns to uniforms, and swords to coins. History painters fill up the spaces with portraits of the various leaders, while concerto music is played in the background. A little incongruous, or perhaps an attempt to dissuade would-be thiefs from stealing the bounty and taking them to the streets?

The final two exhibitions are temporary ones: the first, a strange tribute to Oriental art and culture, featuring ornate carved furniture, jewellery, delicate fans and the painful shoes of some (hopefully) small children. The next is an interesting walk through the “Casas de Brasilero” (Houses of Brazil) seen through Julio de Mato’s black and white tinted lens. Each canvas print is a little eerie and makes each of the residences look even more like the skeletons of the past than they already are. I don’t really know what to make of it all – culturally – but am left hardly any time to contemplate this, before I have to be back at the hostel.