The ‘Gold and Feathers’ exhibition takes you to explore distant Brazil and its fascinating history. The exhibition forms part of Europalia.Brasil and tells the story of the Portuguese colonists and their relentless search for gold; of the Indians for whom the riches of nature and especially the colourful feathers of birds are worth far more than gold; and of the garimpeiros, today’s Brazilian gold prospectors, who would give anything to make the discovery of a lifetime.
The ‘Gold and Feathers’ exhibition will appeal to anyone who is interested in the past and present riches of Brazil. It brings out the sometimes widely divergent scales of value of the various population groups of this vast country. You can see the glittering gold coins from the Banco Central do Brasil, the magnificent feather ornaments of the Indians (from the collections of the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren and the MAS Museum in Antwerp) and the poignant reportage by the Brazilian photographers, Ricardo Funari and João Roberto Ripper depicting the garimpeiros.
The exhibition is open to both individual visitors and groups. Groups can request a guided tour. For school groups, admission and the guided tour are both totally free of charge. Since capacity is limited, you need to book early. Bookings can be made by telephone, (32 2 221 22 06) or by e-mail (museum@nbb.be) , or using the online-booking form.
A catalogue is available in three languages: Dutch, French and English.
