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Hundreds of people protested outside Colombia’s National Museum in Bogotá after the government ordered about 30 works and historical objects removed from display. President Abelardo De La Espriella said the order targeted material he described as praising terrorism; museum directors and arts figures condemned the removals and called for the works to return. The government’s plans for the objects and the museum’s next steps have not been made clear.
Hundreds of people protested outside Colombia’s National Museum in Bogotá over the weekend after President Abelardo De La Espriella’s government ordered about 30 works and historical objects removed from display, including material on LGBTQ+ history, women’s rights, political violence and the 2016 peace agreement with FARC. The removals have prompted condemnation from museum leaders and members of the arts community, who say the decision limits public engagement with contested parts of Colombia’s history.
The items were removed last week on the president’s directive. De La Espriella said he had instructed Culture Minister Paola Holguín to remove what he called “odes to terrorism”, naming former guerrilla commander Carlos Pizarro Leongómez. Pizarro was one of three presidential candidates assassinated in 1990. The president’s description is his characterization of the material; the withdrawn objects covered a range of political and social subjects.
Among them were a photograph from an LGBTQ+ rights march by Humberto Rincón Perfetti, a Pride flag that belonged to activist Elizabeth Castillo and a pamphlet about women’s reproductive rights. The museum also removed material relating to the killings of Pizarro and Patriotic Union Party leader Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa, as well as a pen made from a bullet that was used to sign the 2016 peace agreement between the government and FARC. The pen bore the inscription: “Bullets wrote our past, education will write our future.”
Images shared by local residents showed gallery walls left bare, with outlines where objects had been displayed. Police in riot gear were stationed outside during the protest; Hyperallergic reported that officers were equipped with water cannons and stun grenades. The source report describes police suppressing demonstrations, but does not provide a detailed account of arrests, injuries or the number of demonstrators beyond “hundreds.”
A Dispute Over Public Memory
The dispute concerns which accounts of Colombia’s recent history are presented in a national institution, and how the museum handles subjects that remain politically contested. The removed material included records of state violence, guerrilla conflict, peace efforts and movements for rights. Taking these objects off display changes what visitors can encounter in the galleries, even as the government argues that the museum should not promote a political position.
Six modern art museums issued a joint statement expressing “deep concern” and asking the culture minister to reverse the decision. Their directors argued that museums should make room for complexity, including history that is uncomfortable or difficult to acknowledge. The response signals that the order has become a broader point of contention within Colombia’s cultural sector, beyond the immediate question of what was removed.
The impact also extends to the museum’s role as a public record. The objects’ removal does not, on the information available, establish that they have been destroyed or permanently taken out of the collection. But without a clear account of their status or a date for their return, visitors and researchers do not know when—or whether—they will again be available to view.
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The Gallery and Its History
Most of the objects were in the National Museum’s “Making Society” gallery, opened in 2019. The museum describes the gallery as examining processes of coexistence, resistance and demands for recognition. Other targeted pieces were shown in a section focused on socially engaged printmaking and photography from the 1950s and 1960s. The works included pieces by late Colombian artists Antonio Caro and Luis Caballero.
The order follows other disputes over cultural policy under De La Espriella, who took office in August after defeating leftist senator Iván Cepeda by a narrow margin, according to the source report. He campaigned on a conservative “antiwoke” platform. In September, the Culture Ministry suspended a long-running federal support program for artists and creative workers, drawing criticism from cultural figures.
The source report also places the museum controversy alongside international political disputes over exhibits addressing history and identity. That comparison is context, not evidence that the Colombian decision was coordinated with policies elsewhere. The reported facts in this case are the president’s directive, the museum removals, the protest and the public objections from cultural leaders.
““All those odes to terrorism featuring Pizarro and the other terrorists” should be removed from public places.”
— President Abelardo De La Espriella
art preservation and display cases
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The Objects’ Status Remains Unknown
The public record described in the source report does not establish where the removed objects are now, whether the removals are temporary, or whether the government or museum intends to put them back on display. It also does not specify whether the objects remain part of the museum’s collection or have been transferred elsewhere.
The National Museum referred press inquiries to the Ministry of Culture, which directed the publication to Holguín’s posts on X. No detailed public explanation of the objects’ future, the process used to select them, or a timeline for a decision was provided in the report. The protest’s precise size, any arrests or injuries, and the government’s response to the museums’ request also remain unreported.
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Calls for Reversal and a Response
The six museums have asked Holguín to reverse the removals, while arts figures have called for the works to return to public view. The next clear developments would be a response from the Culture Ministry or the museum on the objects’ status, and any decision about whether to restore them to the galleries.
No timeline for such a decision was given in the source report. Further protests or public statements may follow, but they have not been confirmed. Until the government or museum provides more detail, it remains unclear whether the removals will stand or be reconsidered.
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Key Questions
Why did people protest at Colombia’s National Museum?
Hundreds protested after the government ordered about 30 objects removed, including works and documents concerning LGBTQ+ history, women’s rights, political violence and the FARC peace agreement. De La Espriella said the material included what he called “odes to terrorism.”
Which objects were taken off display?
Reported examples include a photograph from an LGBTQ+ rights march, activist Elizabeth Castillo’s Pride flag, a pamphlet about reproductive rights, material about the assassinations of Carlos Pizarro Leongómez and Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa, and a bullet-made pen used to sign the 2016 peace agreement.
Have the removed works been destroyed?
The source report does not say that the objects were destroyed. It also does not explain where they are being kept or whether the removals are temporary.
What has the cultural sector said?
Leaders of six modern art museums expressed “deep concern” and asked Culture Minister Paola Holguín to reverse the decision. Arts figures also criticized the removals and called for the objects to return to public display.
Source: rss
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