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The Museum of Modern Art of Bahia (MAM-BA) is located in Solar do Unhão, a historic site from the 16th century, on the shores of Todos os Santos Bay in Salvador. Founded in the early 1960s, initially MAM-BA was located at Teatro Castro Alves, having moved to its current address in 1966.



MAM-BA is one of 12 state museums that are linked to the Institute of Artistic and Cultural Heritage (IPAC), an autarchy of the Bahia State Department of Culture.



In terms of structure, MAM-BA has a technical space with conservation, restoration and museology services; eight exhibition rooms; a theater; a library; and an art workshop that offers open courses in painting, modeling, engraving, ceramics, drawing, handmade paper and sculpture to the entire community.



In its facilities can be found paintings, sculptures, photographs and drawings by artists such as Tarsila do Amaral, Portinari, Flávio de Carvalho, Di Cavalcanti, Rubem Valentim, Pancetti, Carybé, Mário Cravo and Sante Scaldaferri.



The emergence of the museum is not only related to the Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi. In early 1959, the critic and director of the State Museum José Valadares encouraged the formation of a commission to deal with the creation of MAM-BA. The idea came from a meeting between Valadares and Wilson Lins, Secretary of Education and Culture of the State. They were part of this group, which met weekly: Carlos Bastos, Clarival Valladares, Diógenes Rebouças, Godofredo Fo, Mário Cravo Júnior and Walter da Silveira. Then, Lina was invited to be the director of the institution. The Solar do Unhão, 17th century heritage of Gabriel Soares that has been hosting MAM-BA since 1963, was restored in 1959 by Lina Bo Bardi. Created legally this year, the institution opened with two exhibitions in the foyer of Teatro Castro Alves, its temporary headquarters, on January 6, 1960, on the day of the Feast of Kings.



For the occasion, a ten-ton stone was placed in front of the Castro Alves Theater, at Mario Cravo's suggestion, and, at the entrance, a display of vegetables and minerals from the Bahia Mercantile Exchange. Upon entering, visitors were faced with curtains delimiting the rooms, which contained the 20 statuettes of As bailarinas, by Edgar Degas, and 31 paintings by Antônio Bandeira.



The initial collection of MAM-BA featured reference works, such as the paintings Casas, by Alfredo Volpi, O touro, by Tarsila do Amaral and donated by Gileno Amado, Bird seller, by Candido Portinari and donated by Assis Chateaubriand, Paisagem, by Rebolo Gonsales and provided by the Diários Associados, and the plaster sculpture Psychological self-portrait, by Flávio de Carvalho. The works in the collection constitute an enormous diversity, following the principles of Lina Bo Bardi, also containing names such as Calasans Neto, Chico Liberato, Di Cavalcanti, Genaro de Carvalho, Jenner Augusto, Rubem Valentim and Sante Scaldaferri.



Proposing to the Government a renovation of Solar do Unhão, Lina repaired the roofs, which were practically destroyed, the Chapel, used as a garage, and the Sheds, which functioned as a warehouse, in addition to building the famous staircase found in the Casarão, composed of similar fittings to the ox cart system. The space's architecture itself is still used today to promote a relationship with the works presented, through projects and site specific exhibitions that stimulate dialogue.



The Italian Lina Bo Bardi idealized the creation of the MAMB, as referred to the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia, together with the Museum of Popular Art (MAP). The objective was to articulate the artistic industry with Bahian and Brazilian popular art. With the perspective of a museum-school, the Sheds were preserved and have hosted the MAM-BA Workshops for over 30 years.



The floor rails, useful for displacing the production of the old snuff factory, were maintained, while the windows and partitions were made in trusses and muxarabis. The idea was that the space would become a school museum for children and young people, in addition to being a cultural reference in the Northeast, especially with its strength in popular culture.



The space should be integrated into the community, through training courses, not only for children, but also adults and artists. The distinctions between popular and erudite, ancient and modern art should not exist. Lina wanted to implement in Brazil something that happened in Italy, where the government brought together creators and artisans to make a new exportable product. In Bahia, in partnership with Mário Cravo, he developed the Center for Study and Craft Work (CETA).



The inauguration of MAM-BA at Solar do Unhão took place in 1963 with two exhibitions: Artists from the Northeast and Civilization from the Northeast, with this one bringing everyday objects, kitchen items, clothes, toys, weapons and indigenous art. In a short time, 27 exhibitions were held, from foreign group shows to individual and group shows by the main local artists.



MAM-BA has become a meeting point for intellectuals, artists, critics and scholars from Brazil and abroad. Not only Lina, but also Mário Cravo Júnior, Sante Scaldaferri, Juarez Paraíso and Chico Liberato, as well as Argentine Carybé, Frenchman Pierre Verger, and German Karl Heinz Hansen (Bahia), contributed to the notoriety of the museum and Bahia.



In 1964, with the Military Coup, Lina, the first director of the two museums, was fired. That same year, the institutions were unified under the name of the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia.



After Lina's departure, Renato Ferraz takes over on an interim basis, then leaving the direction to Mário Cravo Júnior, who maintains the various activities already started. His contact with artists from Brazil resulted in more donations to the museum's collection. After obtaining little relevance during the Military Regime, with little artistic representation in the 1970s and 1980s and with the degradation of Solar do Unhão, MAM-BA began a revitalization by expanding its collection, especially with artistic residency programs that resulted in assignment of the pieces. Although with expressive works by national artists, the collection came mainly from those of the 1950s and 1960s.



During this troubled period, Silvo Robatto was at the head of the museum until, in the late 1970s, Chico Liberato took over the direction of MAM-BA and started the MAM Workshops in 1980, which still promotes training courses in various artistic expressions. : ceramics, drawing, sculpture, engraving, painting, among others. In 1988, Liberato promotes the Bahian Salon of Plastic Arts. With some editions, the Salon contributed to the restructuring of the visual arts circuit in the State and allowed the museum to obtain one of the most complete collections of art in Brazil, with the works of the winners.



In 1991, Heitor Reis replaced Liberato and made several changes, such as the restoration of Solar do Unhão, the installation of the air conditioning system in the Technical Reserve, the expansion of the Museology center and the creation of the Restoration, Library and Theater sectors.



After troubled years due to the Military Regime, MAM-BA begins a new phase in the 1990s. Solar do Unhão underwent a new restoration, adapting and resizing its exhibition spaces. After the structural problems were resolved, the next step was to reinsert MAM-BA in the local community with a reopening event in 1992.



At Casarão, there was air conditioning following international standards, with the first floor for temporary exhibitions and the second dedicated to a permanent exhibition of the collection. Galpão Norte had two exhibition rooms, the library, the video room and the theater / auditorium, while Galpão Sul had the technical reserve and the Conservation and Restoration sectors. The Chapel received temporary exhibitions of an experimental nature. At the end of the decade, in 1998, MAM-BA inaugurated the Parque das Esculturas, an open-air gallery, and the Sala Rubem Valentim, which brings together the works of the Bahian artist. Galeria Subsolo was occupied for the first time in 2007, with the 14th Salão da Bahia.



MAM-BA still manages to maintain its initial proposals, defined by the architect Lina Bo Bardi as a museum-school that would not distinguish the different forms of arts and would not carry out a differentiated appreciation. It became a great diffuser of national and international art, in addition to playing an essential role in the dissemination of Bahian and Northeastern works to Brazil and the world.



In addition, it is a reference in the activities it carries out, whether with its workshops and courses, with its artistic-cultural mediations or with its social projects, all developed by its Educational Center, with a view to supporting and valuing Bahian artists and Northeasterners, both established and emerging.



The current collection of MAM-BA is composed of more than 1200 pieces, of different languages, supports, traditions and places of the world. The collection was formed through transfers from the Museum of the State of Bahia, current Museum of Art of Bahia (MAB), and through donations over the years.



The collection includes works by artists such as Alfredo Volpi, Aloísio Magalhães, Ayrson Heráclito, Burle Mar, Caetano Dias, Caio Reisewitz, Calasans Neto, Candido Portinari, Carlos Bastos, Carlos Thiré, Carybé, Chico Liberato, Christian Cravo, Clóvis Graciano, Cristiano Mascaro, Daniel Katz, Darel Valença, Di Calvacanti, Efrain Almeida, Emanoel Araújo, Fayga Ostrower, Flávio de Carvalho, Genaro de Carvalho, Gil Vicente, Hansen Bahia, Janaina Tschäpe, Jenner Augusto, José Bechara, José Pancetti, Marcelo Grassmann, Márcio Lima, Marepe, Mário Cravo Júnior, Mário Cravo Neto, Nino Cais, Oswaldo Goeldi, Pazé, Pierre Verger, Rebolo Gonsales, Renina Katz, Rubem Valentim, Samson Flexor, Sante Scaldaferri, Tarsila do Amaral, Tomie Ohtake and Tunga.



In addition to a specific program for each exhibition, which normally includes meetings with artists, art talk cycles, workshops associated with exhibitions, lectures and expeditions, MAM has the following periodic activities:



MAM Side B



MAM cultural mediator Ítala Herta carries out this activity, which must be scheduled, with the aim of expanding the museum's projects, making it possible to hold events in its external spaces. Through partnerships with communities, associations, NGOs and non-institutional projects, MAM seeks to develop artistic and alternative actions in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil or other countries.



Children's Workshop



On Sundays, from 10 am to 11:30 am, parents can take their children to MAM for an activity that seeks to playfully expand children's perception through basic arts techniques. With passwords distributed 30 minutes earlier, the action was already led by Ana Rachel Schimiti and Bianca Portugal.



Art-educator Ana Rachel Schimiti has held several art workshops and has experience in art education abroad and in art therapy, with a post-graduate degree in Art Education from Faculdades Integradas Olga Mettig. The artist Bianca Portugal is a photographer, graduated in Visual Arts at UFBA, and works especially with analog photography and its experimental and historical processes, investigating the relationship between photographer, camera and captured image.



Solar Stories



MAM has been located since 1963 in Solar do Unhão, a historic architectural complex on the edge of the Todos os Santos Bay. The 17th century architecture dates back to the old colonial mills, having served more recently as a commercial warehouse of the State. From a heritage education program, the Unhão group and its stories are presented in a playful way, proposing to awaken the sense of belonging of its visitors, especially children, on a journey through the history of Bahia and the awareness of the preservation of these symbols. The activity, promoted by the art-educator and cultural mediator of MAM Roseli Costa, is aimed at children from 8 to 12 years old and to other interested parties, happening every fortnight on Sundays, starting at 3 pm.



Paint in MAM



Coordinated by the artist Maninho Abreu, the activity always takes place on Sundays, from 3 pm to 6 pm, on the ramp of Pátio das Mangueiras do MAM. The intention is to bring children and young people closer to artistic activities and the museological environment, providing children and their families with a playful moment. Participants can paint freely or be guided by the artist through themes that emerge from the museum's collection and from the exhibitions on display. The activity promotes an education of the senses to children, strengthening the way of relating to space, the work of art and elements of the visual arts. In a playful way, the artist encourages adults and children to release their imagination through the colors and brushes in the sidings necessary for the renovation of the museum, transforming itself into a large canvas.



Hug Line



The art educator, visual artist and teacher Roseli Amado is the coordinator of this action with the Unhão community, which always takes place through scheduling. The objective is to provide children and youth with a closer relationship with contemporary visual arts production through artistic, aesthetic and heritage education.



Jam at MAM



The Museum of Modern Art of Bahia has been promoting, since 2007, under the artistic direction of musician Ivan Huol, Jam no MAM, a continuation of the jam sessions held between 1993 and 2001 at Solar do Unhão. The meeting, which has an average audience of more than 1500 spectators, takes place every Saturday in the external area of ​​MAM, starting at 18h, with tickets sold at R $ 3.00 (half-price). On the first visit to the museum, the event took place in front of the MAM Chapel and was known as Jazz MAM. One of the musical peculiarities of Jam at MAM is its percussive tradition stemming from Bahian music, offering a mix of baião, samba, frevo, salsa, blues and swing, all in an ambience of improvisation.



Solar Café



MAM is known not only for its works, but also for being a beautiful leisure space, with its Sculpture Park, and for having one of the most beautiful views in the city. The Bay of Todos os Santos can be seen from any part of Solar do Unhão, being a spectacle to be remembered. Another leisure option is Solar Café, opened in 2008, which integrates the architectural complex through a unification of contemporary gastronomy and artistic spaces. The menu is signed by chef Andréa Nascimento, and can be enjoyed with views of the Bay.





OPENING HOURS

Tuesday to Friday, from 1 pm to 7 pm

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 14h to 19h

Free entrance

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