Emanoel Araujo's R$30 Million Collection Auction Proceeds After Suspension

market-auction · 2026-04-23

The private collection of Emanoel Araujo (1940-2022), artist and former director of Pinacoteca, will be auctioned on Saturday, March 28, at Bolsa de Arte in São Paulo. Originally scheduled for late September, the auction was suspended after the Instituto Brasileiro de Museus (IBRAM) requested a delay to allow Brazilian museums to exercise their right of first refusal. The collection, comprising approximately 4,000 items valued at R$30 million, will be offered as a single lot. If unsold, two additional auctions will follow on Monday and Tuesday. Divided into seven categories, the collection includes African art, Afro-Brazilian art, modern works, Oriental art, European art, and Brazilian art. Highlights include pieces by Mestre Valentim (1745-1813) and Xavier das Conchas (1739-1814), as well as 19th-century Joias de Crioula used by enslaved and freed Black women in Bahia. The most valuable item is an oil painting by Italian Renaissance painter Niccolò Frangipane, with a starting bid of R$1 million. The auction has sparked concern among cultural advocates who argue the collection represents a significant part of Brazil's cultural heritage and should be preserved in public institutions. A petition signed by numerous artists, curators, and cultural workers calls for government or private intervention to keep the collection intact.

Key facts

Auction of Emanoel Araujo's private collection on March 28 at Bolsa de Arte in São Paulo
Collection valued at R$30 million with approximately 4,000 items
Originally scheduled for September but suspended by IBRAM for museum right of first refusal
Items divided into seven categories including African, Afro-Brazilian, and European art
Highlights include works by Mestre Valentim and Xavier das Conchas
Most valuable item: oil painting by Niccolò Frangipane with R$1 million starting bid
Collection includes 19th-century Joias de Crioula used by Black women in Bahia
Auction proceeds despite concerns about dispersal of cultural heritage

Entities

Artists

Emanoel Araujo
Mestre Valentim
Xavier das Conchas
Niccolò Frangipane
Alayde Alves Abiniel João Nascimento
Adriana Barretto Figueiredo
Alan Diniz
Alice Yura
Ana Gentil
Ana Lenice Fonseca da Silva
Ana Rey
Anna Biondo
Arthur Arenari
Beatriz Lopes Paulino
Beatriz Morgado
Beth da Matta
Caroline Fucci
Daniela Castro
Eliana Francisca de Queiroz
Gabriel Pessoto
Guilherme Borsatto
Gustavo Torrezan
Guta Galli
iah bahia bruno de carvalho
Izabel Pinheiro
Jaqueline Votja
José Patricio
José Roberto Aguilar
Júlia Buenaventura
Júlia Pereira
Juliana Asmir
Juliana Notari Nascimento
Jussi Szilágyi
Laura Lima
Leonardo Antan
Leonardo Nones
Liana Vila Nova
Lília Malheiros
Lu Grecco
Luciana Molisani
Luciana Monteiro
Manoel Sá e Benevides
Marcelo Poloni
Maria Amélia Sallum
Maria Aparecida de Oliveira Lopes
Michaela Affonso Ferreira Nardone
Milton Kanashiro
Mônica de Souza Gouvêa
Mônica Tinoco
Nelson Fernando Inocencio da Silva
Paula Braga
Raimundo Rodriguez
Renata Melo Barbosa do Nascimento
Ricardo Alves
Rita Leite Pereira
Rita Maria Mourão Barbosa
Shanon Botelho
Sofia Carvalhosa
Sueli Espicalquis
Tania Chreim
Thaís Hilal
Yhuri Cruz da Silva

Institutions

Bolsa de Arte
Pinacoteca
Museu Afro Brasil
Instituto Brasileiro de Museus (IBRAM)
Sistema Brasileiro de Museus
Política Nacional de Museus (PNM)
Projeto Leonilson
Desapê
Galeria Galatea Salvador
Nara Roesler
Museu de Arte do Espírito Santo (MAES)
Movimento Grevista Negro
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Sesc Sorocaba
Frestas – Trienal de Artes
Capela João de Camargo
Clube 28 de Setembro
CAIXA Cultural São Paulo
Phi Projetos
Cinnamon
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
Ateliê Marlene Barros
Ponto de Cultura Coletivo ZBM
Universidade de Aveiro
MASP
Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
El Espacio 23
Janaina Torres Galeria
FAMA Museu
IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
Biblioteca de Fotografia
10×10 Photobooks
Getty Research Institute
Museo Reina Sofía
Rijksmuseum
New York Public Library
Paris Photo
Livraria da Travessa
Simões de Assis
Galeria Estúdio Reverso
NONADA SP
NND|Azeco
DAN Galeria
SP-Arte
Casa de Cultura do Parque
Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
Lei Rouanet
Ministério da Cultura
banco BV
Laranjinha
Banco Itaú
Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
Instituto Hercule Florence
Documenta Pantanal
Centro Maria Antônia da USP
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Fonte
Carmo Johnson Projects
Itaú Cultural
Ilê Asipá
Pina Luz
Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc

Locations

São Paulo
Brazil
Bahia
Salvador
R. Chile, 22 - Centro, Salvador - BA
Vitória
Espírito Santo
Av. Jerônimo Monteiro, 631, Centro, Vitória - ES
Sorocaba
R. Barão de Piratininga, 555 - Jardim Faculdade, Sorocaba - SP
Praça da Sé, 111 – Centro – SP
Belo Horizonte
Minas Gerais
Praça da Liberdade, 450 - Funcionários, Belo Horizonte - MG
Avenida Paulista, 1578, São Paulo
La Puntana
Argentina
Gran Chaco
Paraguai
Miami
EUA
Rua Vitorino Carmilo, 427 Barra Funda, São Paulo-SP
Itu
Rua Padre Bartolomeu Tadei, 9 – Centro – CEP 13300-190 – Itu – SP
Avenida Paulista, 2424 São Paulo - SP
Nova York
Los Angeles
Madri
Amsterdã
Alameda Lorena, nº 2050 - Jardim Paulista
Rua Domingos Fernandes, nº 88 - Vila Nova Conceição - São Paulo - SP
Praça da Bandeira,53 – Centro, São Paulo - SP
Rua Estados Unidos, 1638 01427-002 São Paulo - SP
Av. Prof. Fonseca Rodrigues, 1300 - Alto de Pinheiros, São Paulo - SP, 05461-010
Rua da Biblioteca, 21, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo - SP
Porto Feliz
Mato Grosso
Grão-Pará
Amazônia
Pantanal
Avenida Europa, 655, São Paulo - SP
Recife
Pernambuco
Rua Mourato Coelho 751, Vila Madalena, São Paulo - SP
Rua Anunze, 249 - Boaçava / Alto de Pinheiros, São Paulo - SP
Santo Antônio da Patrulha
Rio Grande do Sul
Avenida Paulista, 149, Sâo Paulo - SP
Praça da Luz, 2, Bom Retiro, São Paulo — SP
Rio de Janeiro
Rua Dr. Plínio Barreto, 285 - 4º andar, Bela Vista - São Paulo - SP

Sources

ARTE!Brasileiros — 2023-10-28