Abdias do Nascimento on the Museum of Black Art

This is the second article that Abdias do Nascimento published about the Museu de Arte Negra (MAN) in 1968, plus his reflections when he republished it in 1980. In the first section, he reports on the creation and development of MAN in Rio de Janeiro from 1950 onwards, presenting justifications for its creation by art critics, intellectuals, and artists. The author also comments on Rubem Valentim’s work as an example of how MAN could be a cultural bridge between Black Africa and Brazil and on José Heitor’s sculptures as an example of the conservation of African visual techniques and conceptions in the country. In the second part of the essay, Nascimento reevaluates his optimism regarding the understanding and support of the government and the ruling class of Brazil. Based on his experience as a self-exile in the U.S. from 1968 and in the context of the struggle of Pan-Africanism, he criticizes the colonialism inherent in the conception of a universal civilization. In addition to pointing out the need to train Afro-descendant theorists and art critics, he mentions other artists (Francisco Chagas, Valentim da Fonseca e Silva, Antônio Francisco Lisboa, Estevão Silva, e Pedro Américo), highlighting the urgent need to survey Africans’ and Afro-descendants’ creations in Brazil.