A “general exhibition” outside the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts: the catalog of the 1882’s Exhibition at the “Liceu de Artes e Ofícios” in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

On March 18, 1882, the first “general exhibition” organized by the Sociedade Propagadora das Belas Artes [“Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts”] was inaugurated at the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios [“School of Arts and Crafts”] building in Rio de Janeiro. The newspaper articles written about the event left no doubt that a catalog was published as part of the exhibition. This publication, barely mentioned by historiography, proves to be an important source for the study of exhibitions in Brazil and the Brazilian art scene at the end of the 19th century. This article aims to present the context in which the catalog was created and to transcribe it entirely. The document is relatively unknown and was produced during an important episode in the history of art in Brazil, which sheds light on a period marked by the hiatus of the general exhibitions of 1879 and 1884 held by the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts.