Emanoel Araujo, founder of Museu Afro Brasil, dies at 82
Renowned artist Emanoel Araujo, known for establishing São Paulo's Museu Afro Brasil, has passed away. Hailing from Bahia, he pursued printmaking at the Escola de Belas Artes da Bahia. Araujo's museum career began in 1981 as the director of the Bahia Art Museum. In 1992, he relocated to São Paulo to oversee the Pinacoteca, where he confronted challenges as a Black, gay man. His partnership with architect Paulo Mendes de Rocha resulted in a successful Rodin exhibition that attracted 150,000 attendees. In 2004, he inaugurated the Museu Afro Brasil at Ibirapuera Park, showcasing 6,000 historical artifacts.
Key facts
- Emanoel Araujo founded the Museu Afro Brasil in São Paulo.
- The museum opened in 2004 in an Oscar Niemeyer-designed pavilion in Ibirapuera Park.
- The collection includes 6,000 objects from the 15th century to the present.
- Araujo was born in Bahia and studied printmaking at UFBA.
- He directed the Bahia Art Museum from 1981 for three years.
- He became director of the Pinacoteca in São Paulo in 1992.
- He hired architect Paulo Mendes de Rocha to redesign the Pinacoteca.
- The opening Rodin exhibition at the renovated Pinacoteca attracted 150,000 visitors in just over a month.
Entities
Artists
- Emanoel Araujo
- Auguste Rodin
- Oscar Niemeyer
- Paulo Mendes de Rocha
Institutions
- Museu Afro Brasil
- Escola de Belas Artes da Bahia (UFBA)
- Bahia Art Museum
- Pinacoteca de São Paulo
- Bienal de São Paulo
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Bahia
- Ibirapuera Park
- New York