The bronze statues of some famous people like poets, singers, songwriters, writers, and soccer players are already part of Rio de Janeiro’s scenery and coexist with the people who walk through the city.
The installations with the technical name of “interactive statues” are life-sized and richly detailed, and remind us of some of the artists’ moments which blend with the history of the city. According to the Municipal Conservation Secretariat (Seconserva), 1200 monuments are scattered throughout the city, and include statues, busts, sphinxes, and water fixtures.
Here a few of the most famous ones, in case you want to stop by and take a photo.
CARLOS DRUMMOND DE ANDRADE
Take a picture with Carlos Drummond de Andrade is mandatory for those who walk through the Copacabana beach. The poet statue, the most famous one, was installed in 2002, the year he became a hundred years old. Inspired by a Rogério Reis’ photograph, Drummond is seated with his back to the ocean of the neighborhood he has lived in until his death in 1987.
Where: Av. Atlântica, s/n Posto 6 – Copacabana
TOM JOBIM
Coming to Arpoador, the author of “Girl from Ipanema”, Tom Jobim, awaits you with his guitar on his shoulder, in the style of his walks around the city in the 1960s. The statue signed by Christina Motta was inaugurated in 2014, exactly 20 years after his death.
Where: Rua Francisco Bering, s/n – Arpoador
MACHADO DE ASSIS
The Brazilian writer considered the greatest name of the nacional literature is sitting on a sumptuous throne at Academia Brasileira de Letras (Brazilian Academy of Letters). Machado de Assis wrote classics like “Dom Casmurro”, “Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas” and “Quincas Borba”.
Where: Av. Presidente Wilson, 203 – Centro
PIXINGUINHA
One of the precursors of Choro (genre of Brazilian popular music), the singer of Carinhoso, Pixinguinha, is eternalized Downtown. Known as Pixinguinha, Alfredo da Rocha Vianna Filho is at Travessa do Ouvidor.
Where: Travessa do Ouvidor, s/n – Centro
TIM MAIA
The singer, songwriter and multi instrumentist who entered the soul music in brazilian music is immortalized at Praça Afonso Pena. Tim has a statue of 150 pounds, only 10 less than him.
Where: Praça Afonso Pena, s/n – Tijuca
MICHAEL JACKSON
Going up the Dona Marta mountain in Botafogo, we can find the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who visited the city in 1996 and chose the local community to shoot the video clip for the song They Don’t Care About Us. The statue of the American idol, who died in 2009 is signed by the cartoonist Ique Woitschach and has special space on the roof of the hill.
Where: Rua São Clemente, s/n Dona Marta – Botafogo
Source: Riotour