Beyond Ink Strokes

The Contributions of Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt to the Construction of the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro (1952–1961)

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis of the “contact zones” established under the leadership of Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt in the process of financing the construction of the School Block of the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, inaugurated in 1958. Beginning in 1952, when Niomar assumed the presidency of the museum, the study investigates the political and economic strategies mobilized to make the project viable. In this regard, it examines both the political maneuvers that enabled initiatives within the public sphere—such as agreements with Senator Jorge Lacerda and President Juscelino Kubitschek—and the actions coordinated by the museum’s administration in collaboration with the private sector. Among these, special attention is given to the trips undertaken by Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, Affonso Eduardo Reidy, and Carmen Portinho in 1955 and 1957, aimed at establishing connections with specialized and non-specialized media outlets, as well as with American industrialists. The article thus seeks to highlight the dynamics of “exchange” and the “[...] processes of negotiation and cultural adaptation” (AVERMAETE; NUIJSINK, 2021) that shaped architectural production.