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A $1.5 million canvas and a 17th-century French grandfather was damaged by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro during a raid on three government buildings in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia on Sunday.
Thousands of rioters stormed buildings designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer in an event that closely resembled the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol.
The office of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was not attacked.
Remarkably, the acquisition came as Bolsonaro was enjoying a post-presidential getaway in Florida, the home of his ally and friend, former US President Donald Trump.
At least 1,200 supporters of the far-right leader have been detained as of Monday night.
The oil on canvas As Mulatas is considered one of the most important pieces produced by Brazilian modernist painter Emiliano Di Calvacanti and was punctured seven times by rioters who invaded the Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Sunday.
Damage was done to one of several paintings on display at the Brazilian National Congress. Authorities had arrested 1,200 protesters as of Monday night.
Senator Rogério Carvalho, who is also in charge of the curatorship of the Planalto Presidential Palace, considered it impossible to assign a monetary value to the total damage to the three destroyed buildings that in 1987 were recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
“The value of what was destroyed is incalculable because of the history it represents,” said Carvalho, quoted by BBC Brazil.
The Senator and the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute created a work team to analyze the damage and determine which works could be saved
‘The collection is a representation of all the presidents who represented the Brazilian people during this long period beginning with JK (Juscelino Kubitschek). That is its historical value,” said Carvalho.
Workers clear debris caused by radical supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro after a riot Sunday at the Planalto Presidential Palace
A working group has been created to analyze which works of art can be fixed, among them the oil on canvas As Mulatas
Employees specializing in the conservation of works of art sit near a painting by painter Emiliano Di Cavalcanti that was destroyed by radical supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro after a riot the previous day at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil.
The oil on canvas As Mulatas is considered one of the most important pieces by the Brazilian modernist painter Emiliano Di Calvacanti and was perforated seven times.
Elizabeth Di Cavalcanti told O Globo newspaper that her father’s 1962 painting, like many of his works, was never named after him.
He said the painting may have been commissioned by a defunct government-run shipping company to adorn one of its ships before it ended up in the Chamber of Deputies building, where it was displayed on the third floor.
The 17th-century grandfather clock that was presented by the French King Louis XIV to the Portuguese King Dom João VI is only one of two in existence in the world. The watch was made by French watchmaker Balthazar Marthinot, but was destroyed by rioters on Sunday.
The 17th-century grandfather clock by French watchmaker Balthazar Martinot was completely destroyed by invaders and beyond repair, according to authorities.
The watch was gifted by the French King Louis XIV to the Portuguese King Dom João VI, who ruled Brazil and Portugal, and is only one of two in existence in the world.
The other is currently on display at the Palace of Versailles in France and is said to be half the size of the one on display on the third floor of the Chamber of Deputies.
A wooden sculpture made by Holocaust survivor Frans Krajcber was broken in several parts of the Planalto Presidential Palace
Holocaust survivor Frans Krajcber caused a wooden sculpture to break in various parts of the Planalto Presidential Palace.
Some of the pieces of the $57,000 artwork were torn from a wall and thrown away by rioters, according to the government.
Krajcberg was born in Poland but moved to Brazil after World War II. His family was murdered in a concentration camp.
Bruno Giorgi’s ‘O Pied Piper’ sculpture from 1962 was totally destroyed during Sunday’s attack
‘O Pied Piper’ by Bruno Giorgi was destroyed and found scattered around the Congress.
The 1962 bronze sculpture, valued at $48,000, was located in the same place where the As Mulatas painting was exhibited.
Alfredo Ceschiatti’s 1961 ‘A Justica’, the granite statue of a blindfolded woman holding a sword that stood outside the Supreme Court, was vandalized by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Rioters also wrote graffiti on Alfredo Ceschiatti’s 1961 granite ‘A Justica’ statue that was placed outside the Supreme Court.
The three-meter-tall sculpture, depicting Themis, the goddess of justice, wearing a blindfold and holding a sword, bore the Portuguese phrase ‘Perdeu, mane’ (You lost, you fool).