Nise da Silveira and the Museum of Images of the Unconscious
Source: Centro Cultural do Ministério da Saúde. Brazil
This year marks the 70th anniversary of one of the most relevant milestones in the history of the worldwide anti-asylum struggle: the founding of the Museum of Images of the Unconscious. In this brief post from the Psychiatry, Arts and Mental Health series, we invite our readers to learn about Nise da Silveira's work, one of the most prolific Latin American psychiatrists of the 20th century.
Nise da Silveira was born in Maceió, Brazil, in 1905. She studied Medicine between 1921 and 1926 at the Medical School in Bahia, being the only woman in her cohort. Moving to Rio de Janeiro in 1927, she began her studies in psychiatry in 1932. Three years later, Nise was detained for 18 months for possessing Marxist books. Subsequently, she was in hiding until 1944 for political reasons.
Nise was one of the pioneers of anti-psychiatric activism at the time. After returning from hiding, she rejoined the activities of the public health system in 1944. In 1946, she founded the Occupational Therapy Section at the Psychiatric Centre Pedro II in Rio de Janeiro. From this space, she critiqued asylums and the use and electroshock, insulin therapy and lobotomy. Moreover, she challenged occupational therapy approaches (e.g., cleaning and maintenance tasks) and promoted artistic expression and patient creativity through art to treat mental illness.
Nise at Medical School in Bahia, Brazil.
Source: Centro Cultural do Ministério da Saúde. Brazil
In 1952, Nise founded the Museum of Images of the Unconscious, which aimed to preserve and display works created by patients. Her work achieved worldwide recognition after an epistolary exchange with Carl Gustav Jung in 1954. Furthermore, at the II International Congress of Psychiatry held in Zurich in 1957, Nise presented the exhibition entitled "A Arte e a Esquizofrenia" (Art and Schizophrenia).
Carl Jung’s invitation to Nise da Silveira (1956). Museum of Images of the Unconscious
Source: Picture. Private Collection.
Currently, the museum is a space for preservation and research and receives hundreds of visitors looking to learn about Nise's legacy in psychiatry and mental health.
Curatorial work at the Museum of Images of the Unconscious.
Source: Picture. Private Collection
Wall at the Psychiatric Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Source: Picture: Private Collection.
If you are interested in learning more about Nise da Silveira's contributions, we invite you to visit the following links: