In 1972, the Italian Embassy left the historic mansion it had occupied since 1919 in Rio de Janeiro, at 154 Rua das Laranjeiras, and moved to the new capital, Brasília. Released on August 29, the book and photographic exhibition aim to offer a journey through the headquarters' photographic history, organizing and showcasing an important part of its historical memory to preserve it.
The history of the Embassy is the story of a construction within a construction. Alongside the building of a new city, a visionary and futuristic capital, the headquarters designed by the great engineer Pier Luigi Nervi was also built. A space for work and diplomatic representation, the building encapsulates the best of Italy's celebrated architectural and engineering traditions, fitting harmoniously into Brasília's urban planning and monumental style.
Over the years, this “construction within a construction” and its almost intimate architectural relationship with its surroundings grew into something more significant. Beyond the material aspects, the connection between the new capital and the Embassy intensified. Through its various activities, the headquarters became part of Brasília's unique and evocative cultural world, establishing relationships with local artists, intellectuals, academics, and journalists.
A witness to this development is the Correio Braziliense, an attentive observer and voice of the Federal Capital, present since the laying of the Embassy's cornerstone, documenting every step of its history to the present day. Its articles are a fundamental part of the journey narrated in the book and the exhibition.
The book
Available for free in print for exhibition visitors and in digital format on the Italian Embassy's website in Portuguese, Italian, and English, the book seeks to enrich the historical reconstruction and memory of the Italian Embassy in Brazil and Brasília.
It spans from festive scenes in contemporary newsreels and journals—with President Juscelino Kubitschek presenting President Giovanni Gronchi with the plot of land, complete with a commemorative plaque, where the new Embassy would be built—to photographs of the most recent events.
Flipping through the newspapers of the era reveals anecdotes, curiosity-inducing tidbits, news stories, minor events, and social columns. Enthusiasts and scholars alike will find both well-known and obscure historical images and moments—epic narratives alongside everyday stories, and the faces of construction workers next to shots immortalizing famous figures and monuments. The daily routine alongside official history.
The exhibition
The exhibition is mounted on 22 glass easels, built according to the model designed by Italian-Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi in the 1960s to display prominent works at the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP). Lina's easels serve as yet another tribute to the Embassy's history: designed by a famous Italian artist who was a friend of Pier Luigi Nervi, the engineer behind the Embassy, these displays consist of glass rectangles resting on small concrete blocks. The material symbolizes both the building and the capital, while the geometric lines are simple yet evocative.
The extensive collection of photographs making up the exhibition features both historical archives and modern images captured through the artistic lens of Joana França, one of the city's most highly regarded architectural photographers.
The photographic exhibition concludes with images of the latest events from the Embassy's cultural program, while the final panel is dedicated to contemporary artist Carlos Bracher, who was invited to paint the Embassy last June and whose artwork is featured on the cover of the new book.
The Italian Embassy in Brasília: A Photographic Journey from Rio de Janeiro to the Central Plateau
This article was written by ArchDaily Team. The translation is powered by AI.
