Colombia’s Museo de Arte de Pereira Closes due to Extensive Earthquake Damage
Colombia’s Museo de Arte de Pereira has closed after sustaining extensive damage from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck northern Colombia on Monday, with the city of Pereira located about 35 miles from the epicenter. Curator Alejandro Garces posted images showing collapsed walls, severe X-shaped fissures in galleries, and damage to the roof of the museum’s 300-seat theater after an adjacent exterior wall fell onto it, writing that “70% of the cultural infrastructure of Risaralda is in ruins.” Libardo Díaz, director of the Museo Rayo in Roldanillo, told ARTnews that 14 museums have been affected in the quake zone and said the Museo de Arte de Pereira is in particularly grave condition. Founded in 1974 as the Center for Contemporary Art and reconstituted as a museum in 1996 after “la ley de la cultura,” the institution holds a 520-piece collection including works by Oscar Muñoz, Olga de Amaral, and Beatriz González (who died in January).
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This story was covered in Stolen Masterpieces, Shaken Museums, Restitution Reckonings