A obra de arte como bem integrado no patrimônio: conjunto arquitetônico da Pampulha em Belo Horizonte

Abstract

The plastic artworks inserted into the Pampulha architectural ensemble in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, were conceived to integrate the architecture and the landscape of a modern complex intended to establish new standards of social practice, based on the protagonism of architecture as art. Recognized as a historical and artistic monument of cultural heritage, the Pampulha architectural ensemble relied on artistic works as integrated assets (bens integrados) in its valuation for registration in the heritage heritage lists (Livros do Tombo). Defined by its physical dependence on the space that houses it, the concept of integrated assets for heritage management is also linked to the conceptual and symbolic aspects of the object within its context. In the Pampulha project, the rejection of ornament and the incorporation of different types of artworks sought to integrate the languages of the fine arts equally—bringing together architecture, landscaping, and plastic arts—representing the search for the synthesis of the arts in modernism. This work was developed following the observation of physical displacements of some of these works, which were designed and valued in a context of the integration of arts and recognized as integrated assets. Understanding the nuances and different forms of identifying these works within the main instruments of material heritage protection—heritage listing (tombamento) and inventorying—allows for the observation of how these variations have affected and still impact the understanding of these artworks individually, alongside the buildings for which they were intended, and within the ensemble as a whole. Thus, the theoretical context situates the role of the integrated asset in the modern universe of fine arts as part of the monument and as an object of management through these heritage instruments. Subsequently, a biography of the plastic artworks designed for Pampulha is presented, contemplating the main facts involved in their existence alongside their respective buildings. Finally, by evaluating the treatment and the method of insertion of these artworks in the existing processes of heritage listing, recognition, and inventories for the Pampulha ensemble, this work seeks to contribute to the appreciation and understanding of this category of cultural property, highlighting aspects that favor its appropriate treatment in heritage management.