Colombia's National Museum pulls 30 works, prompting protests and court order
More than 30 objects have been removed from permanent display at the Museo Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá.
President Abelardo de la Espriella ordered the takedown of material linked to LGBTQ+ rights, feminism and Colombia's 2016 peace agreement. The government described the displays as "political indoctrination" The Art Newspaper.
The pieces came from two long-term history galleries, "Hacer sociedad" and "Memoria y Nación". They included a pride flag belonging to activist Elizabeth Castillo, campaign posters for Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa and Carlos Pizarro, both presidential candidates assassinated in 1990, and a poster for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Reporting describes the wider target as exhibits about political violence Associated Press.
The government said the displays amounted to political indoctrination. Culture Minister Paola Holguín defended the action. She said the museum's role "is not to serve as an instrument of political indoctrination."
Protesters organised quickly outside the museum on Carrera Séptima, a busy avenue through central Bogotá. Hundreds gathered over the weekend to oppose what they called censorship. One earlier local report put the crowd at more than 500 people on 17 October El Espectador.
Some demonstrators blocked the road. The demonstrations continued for a second day and at one point closed the avenue to traffic. Others stacked bricks into a small installation with a sign reading "Anti-fascist art" Reuters.
Police pushed back. On 17 and 18 October, riot police dispersed crowds outside the museum with tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons.
On 19 October, Bogotá judge César Osorio Ortiz stepped in. He ordered the museum to preserve the works already taken down and to halt further content-based removals without formal written justification.
Museum leaders elsewhere raised alarm. Six Colombian museums, including the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá and the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín in Medellín, issued a joint statement expressing deep concern. They called for the removal measure to be reconsidered.
President de la Espriella has also announced plans to rename the Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y los Saberes, the ministry responsible for culture, as the Ministerio de Cultura y Patrimonio. The announcement was reported alongside the museum order.
For now, the removed pieces must stay preserved and no further removals based on content can go ahead without formal reasons. The most recent account, published on 20 October, puts the number taken from permanent display at more than 30 works.
