"RIO-1922"

The exhibition at the Museu Histórico Nacional (National History Museum) recalls Rio de Janeiro 100 years ago: the opening takes place on 18 May, from 11.30am, at the same time as the Tiradentes Medal is awarded to the museum by Alerj.

Starting on International Museum Day, 18 May, the exhibition "Rio 1922" will take the public to the Rio de Janeiro of 100 years ago, when the National Historical Museum was created as one of the attractions of the International Independence Centenary Exhibition.

The result of a collaborative curatorship, the exhibition presents aspects of the then capital of the Republic in a key year for the Brazilian history. Gathering around 100 items from the MHN's collection, including paintings, photographs, objects, numismatic items, clothing and period furniture, it seeks to give the tone of how people lived in the city and the challenges of the period.

For the exhibition coordinator, MHN architect Simone Kimura,"'Rio-1922' is a collective work, dedicated to the celebration of the centenary of the Museu Histórico Nacional (National Historical Museum), and was idealized and realized out of love for museums".

Sponsored by the Vale Cultural Institute, through the Federal Law for Cultural Incentives, the exhibition is organized in four modules: "Dismantling of Castle Hill"; "Carioca effervescence"; "International Commemorative Exhibition of the Centennial of Independence"; and "Creation of the National Historical Museum".

The first module shows the modernisation and beautification reforms of the city, which began in the early twentieth century, with the aim of bringing it closer to the European capitals, especially Paris. The most emblematic case of this phase was the dismantling of Castle Hill, where the city was settled at the end of the 16th century, to build the pavilions for the 1922 exhibition, in the old Misericórdia area.

The second module, "Efervescência carioca", presents the cultural and social context of Rio that year, based on images and items from the city's daily life.

The third module addresses the International Commemorative Exhibition of the Centennial of Independence, which took place in the city of Rio between September 1922 and March 1923, and received millions of visitors. The public will be able to see up close the large scale plan of the exhibition, publicity advertisements from that time, rare moving images from the exhibition, as well as items created especially for the occasion.

The creation of the MHN is retraced in module four, with objects and images that tell a little of the centenary history of the museum, which initially occupied only two rooms of the Large Industries pavilion of the international exhibition.

The Exhibition "Rio-1922" has the support of the Association of Friends of the MHN and the partnership of public institutions, such as the Museum of the Republic, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Audiovisual Technical Center; and will be open until December 2022 - with free entrance.

Tiradentes Medal
Before the opening of the exhibition, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) will grant the National Historical Museum the Tiradentes Medal, the highest honor granted by Alerj to people and institutions that rendered relevant services to the public cause in the State. For Deputy Luiz Paulo, who proposed the project, the granting of the medal to the museum is justified because it is a "representative space and guardian of a large part of the collection of Brazilian history, of the State and the city of Rio de Janeiro".

Besides the delivery of the medal and respective diploma to the MHN, honorable titles will be given to four former directors of the institution: the museologists Heloísa Duncan, Solange Godoy and Vera Tostes, and the historian Paulo Knauss. The Association of Friends of the MHN will also receive a motion of honor.

"The awarding of the honor to the museum is a well-deserved birthday present to celebrate the institution's centennial," points out the substitute director of the Museu Histórico Nacional (National Historical Museum), Aline Montenegro. "The museum consolidates itself, every day, as a reference in the field of history, museology and heritage, and this is also a tribute to all the teams that have made it throughout this century."

About the MHN

The Museu Histórico Nacional (MHN) is a museum dedicated to the history of Brazil. Located in the historic centre of the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), it was created in 1922, by the then president Epitácio Pessoa (1865-1942), as part of the celebrations for the centennial of Brazil's Independence. The Museum Unit integrated to the structure of the Brazilian Institute of Museums (Ibram), an autarchy of the Ministry of Tourism, the MHN has a collection comprised of approximately 300 thousand archives, bibliographic and museological items. Its exhibition galleries range from the pre-Cabral period to the contemporary history of the country. The exhibition space is part of an architectural complex covering an area of 14,000 m², plus more than 3,000 m² of internal courtyards. The museum also has galleries for temporary exhibitions and a souvenir shop. Committed to present its collections in the best way possible to the largest number of people, the MHN assists public and public schools, as well as visitors in general, in special guided tours.

Service

National Historical Museum

Address: Praça Marechal Âncora, s/nº - Centro - RJ - Brazil

Telephone: (21) 3299-0324 - reception

Opening hours: Wednesday to Friday, from 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday, from 1pm to 5pm .

Admission to the MHN remains free, in view of the celebrations of its 100th anniversary in 2022.

Website: http://mhn.museus.gov.br/

Social netartworks: @museuhistoriconacional