When the Brazilian Chagas Freitas arrived in the GDR in 1984, where he worked as cultural attaché of the Brazilian embassy, he was immediately fascinated by the small country. Freitas, who grew up in the jungle in Brazil, quickly became one of the most important art collectors in the GDR and was also known for his parties. Nearly 1,200 works belong to his collection, none of which he has sold to date, although estimates run into the millions. The love of art takes precedence for the 66-year-old.
Freitas also collected works by artists critical of the state, although that was not his main concern. He was interested in painters who pursued their own unique style and were simply ignored by the art establishment in the GDR, rather than being banned. Freitas returned to Brazil in 1991, as a result of which the largest art collection of GDR art is now in the capital Brasilia.
The exhibition Intoxication of Images. The Chagas Freitas Collection - Art from the GDR and its Journey to Brazil shows both art from the GDR and contemporary works from Brazil that Freitas collected over the last 30 years. Works by A. R. Penck, Gerda Lepke, Max Uhlig, José Spaniol, Carlito Carvalhosa, and Eneas Valle (among others) will be on view at Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus, one of two locations of the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art (BLMK), from December 18, 2021 to February 27, 2022.
