The Museum of Natural History in Brussels is to join a consortium of 11 international institutions set up to help the National Museum in Brazil, which suffered widespread damage in a fire at the weekend. The museum, situated in Rio Di Janeiro, had a collection of worldwide importance, of archaeological and historical treasures. According to initial reports, only one-tenth of the collection has been preserved.
The Rio museum was thought to contain some 20 million pieces, from the fields of geology, archaeology, plants and ancient pre-Columbian artefacts.
Drone footage taken after the fire was extinguished shows the facade of the building to be virtually intact, while the central exhibition rooms are almost entirely destroyed.
There exists a G12 of museums, along the lines of the economic G12, and it has released a statement of support for Rio. The organisation includes museums from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“The National Museum of Brazil has unique works of art and objects of inestimable scientific value,” the organisation said in a statement. “The ranged from priceless pieces from the scientific and cultural heritage of Brazil to the historical building itself. This is a great loss not only for Brazil itself, but for the entire world. Our colleagues in Brazil must now look towards the future, and we promise our support in the days, months and years to come”.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
