Special exhibition: "BRAZIL. 200 years of relations"

07. June 2022
The new special exhibition "BRAZIL. 200 years of relations" can be seen from 8 June 2022 to 23 April 2023 (extended until 3 September, 2023!) in the four cabinets and two special exhibition halls (mezzanine level) at the Natural History Museum Vienna.
The exhibition focuses on the fascinating diversity of Brazil from the perspective of the centuries-old ties between Brazil and Austria with their global interactions. This common history can be seen in many areas – politics, through major trade agreements, but also cooperation in science and culture. Last but not least, at an individual level it is reflected in our behavior as consumers.

On Tuesday, 7 June 2022, at 10.30 a.m., the NHM Vienna invites to a press conference on the occasion of the new special exhibition.

Venue: Natural History Museum Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna
Special exhibition, Cabinet 4
 
Admission: from 10.00 a.m.
Start: at 10.30 a.m.
 
Programme:
 
Welcome and introductory words:
Dr. Katrin Vohland, Director General & Scientific Director of the NHM Vienna and curator of the exhibition
 
Statements on the exhibition from the curatorial team:
Dr. Christian Bräuchler, Head of the Botanical Department, NHM Vienna
Prof. Dr. Sabine Eggers, Head of the International Osteological Collection in the Anthropological Department, NHM Vienna
DDr. Martin Krenn, Head of the Archive for the History of Science, NHM Vienna
 
Cooperation partners who have also taken up the theme of Archduchess Leopoldine & 200 Years of Independence of Brazil:
 
"Naturwunder einer Neuen Welt: Brasilien in Schönbrunn".
Mag. Katrin Völk, Head of Department Austrian Federal Gardens
 
"LEOPOLDINA. Furchtlos nach Rio"
Dr. Claudia Lehner-Jobst, Scientific Director of the Porcelain Museum in the Augarten and curator of the exhibition
 
Followed by: Tour of the exhibition with the curators


BRAZIL. 200 years of relations

The close ties between Austria and Brazil can be traced back to the period of the Habsburg Monarchy. The marriage of Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria, the fourth daughter of Emperor Franz I and his second wife Maria Theresia of Naples and Sicily, to the Portuguese heir to the throne, Dom Pedro, had not only political consequences but also a far-reaching impact on the world of science. This exhibition gives an insight into the large-scale expedition launched to celebrate the wedding and supervised by none other than Austrian Chancellor Klemens Wenzel von Metternich himself. A staff of distinguished scientists collected and documented the exotic fauna and flora, as well as minerals and ethnological treasures, for four years in hugely challenging conditions. The taxidermist Johann Natterer even stayed on after the expedition had ended, spending a total of 18 years in the rainforests of South America and sending tens of thousands of objects and specimens back to Vienna. A selection of items from his collections, today housed in the NHM Vienna and the Weltmuseum, is shown in the exhibition as well as some of the countless herbarium sheets created by the botanist Johann Pohl.
 
At the same time, the exhibition also addresses the darker side of relations between Austria and Brazil. Some of these aspects, such as the slave trade and colonialism have massive effects right up to the present. Many others, however, continue today. These include ruthless, often brutal behavior towards the indigenous population as well as the radical exploitation of coveted natural and mineral resources – something we contribute to significantly through our behavior as consumers. These aspects are contrasted with examples of the opportunities and limitations offered by science, as well as the knowledge and experience of indigenous peoples, in the quest to find solutions that will benefit the world.
 
The majority of the exhibition is dedicated to Brazil's unique natural habitats – the evergreen rainforest of Amazonia, the thousands of kilometers of Atlantic coastline, the dense wilderness of the Atlantic Forest, the pale vegetation of the ‘White Forest’ in the Caatinga, the tropical swamps of the Pantanal, the highly specialized grasses of the Pampa and the forbidding savannas of the Cerrado. Preserving the enormous biodiversity and at least remnants of the original habitats with their abundance of plants and animals and their way of life, is a tremendous challenge. Scientists from Austria and the NHM Vienna are working in a variety of ways with partners from Brazil on research and renaturation projects. These projects, based on international collaboration, are being intensified and becoming more and more globally oriented – a positive outlook for the future after 200 years of eventful common history.
 
Please register under: presse@nhm-wien.ac.at

Frontispiece by Joseph Selleny
© NHM Wien, Alice Schumacher
Hall 17, Cerrado
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 1
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 2
Erzherzogin Leopoldine (Joseph Kreutzinger, um 1815)
und Dom Pedro  von Portugal (Gianno, vo 1830)

(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 2
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 2
Polierte Körbchenmuschel

(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 2
Johann Natterer (Michael Sandler, um 1836)
und Johann Pohl (Franz Kadlik, 1823)

(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 2
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 3
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 3
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 3
Schnupftabakfläschchen und Seringueiro-Messer

(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 4
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 4
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 4
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Cabinet 4
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18, Amazônia
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18, Bioma Marinho
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18, Caatinga
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 18
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17, Pantanal
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17, Pantanal
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17, Cerrado
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17, Cerrado
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17, Pampa
(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
Hall 17
Detail mit Ara-Präparaten

(c) NHM Wien, Christina Rittmannsperger
"Rio de Janeiro", Robert Russ (around 1883)
Das Bild zeigt die von tropischer Vegetation umrahmte Hauptstadt des Kaisertums Brasilien und ist im Saal 18 des NHM Wien zu sehen. Anlass für die Wahl dieses Bildthemas waren sicherlich die umfangreichen Sammlungen, die durch die „Leopoldina-Expedition“ ans Museum kamen. Inspiriert wurde Robert Russ von den Aquarellen, die der Expeditionsmaler Thomas Ender auf dieser Reise angefertigt hatte.

(c) NHM Wien
  
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