Books in a dumpster: National Historical Museum authorities and the Friends Association explain the image that circulated on social media

An image of art books, specifically on pre-Columbian art published by the Nicolás García Uriburu Foundation, discarded in a dumpster outside the National Historical Museum in Buenos Aires has ignited public criticism. Artist Marcia Schvartz initially shared the photo on social media, prompting widespread condemnation from artists, art historians, and the public, who directed their anger at the government.

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Regarding the photo of the container located at the door of the National Historical Museum that circulated on social media, the Association of Friends of that institution informs that, as part of a restructuring and cleaning of the shop's storage space, it was decided to discard outdated dissemination material, keeping the necessary ones for the archive and library.

In response, the National Secretariat of Culture, through the museum's "Friends Association," issued a statement explaining the situation. They claimed the books were outdated promotional material being cleared from the storage area of the museum shop during a restructuring. The association stated that necessary materials for the archive and library were preserved, and other items in the dumpster were broken, damaged, or mixed with trash and debris.

However, following the significant social media backlash, museum authorities ordered the retrieval of the books from the dumpster. Jorge Carman, president of the Friends Association, elaborated that the upper floor of the shop had become a repository for various materials left by different administrations of the association. He explained that they had requested the space be remodeled and that the decision was made to remove old papers and accounting books, some dating back to the 1930s, which were no longer relevant. Carman insisted that the association's responsibility ended with requesting the removal of these old papers and that the subsequent discarding was not under their control, attributing it to a potential oversight or error.

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What happened was the following: upstairs from the shop, we had accumulated everything that the different administrations of the Friends Association had left there. The upper space of the shop was used as a storage area for whatever paper was left over.

María Paula Zingoni, Director of National Museums and Heritage Management and interim director of the National Historical Museum, affirmed a positive relationship with the "Friends Association," describing them as highly supportive. She clarified that the materials were moved from the association's storage more than two months prior. Zingoni stated that the incident occurred after the materials were relocated and that the association was not responsible for the final disposal.

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We support them a lot. After a remodeling in the shop...