Conservation removes statue of Master Carlson Gracie from square in Copacabana for reinforcement, after vandalism

The Municipal Conservation Department removed the statue of Master Carlson Gracie from Shimon Peres Square on Figueiredo Magalhães Street in Copacabana, Rio's South Zone, on Friday (30/5). The measure aims to protect the monument, which was vandalized and had its plaque stolen. As a result, technicians from the Monuments and Fountains Management Department confirmed that the statue's structure is compromised.

– This is the second theft we have recorded in one week. This time, right in front of a police station and just a few meters from a battalion. Even drug pipes were found at the foot of this monument, which represents a very important person in world sports. We will have to remove it to rebuild. Yet another case of public money lost in an act of vandalism – declared the Secretary of Conservation, Diego Vaz.

The Conservation Department will work with artist Edgar Duvivier to create a budget to include a more reinforced structure. The statue in honor of the legendary Carlson Gracie (1932-2006) was inaugurated in August 2019, on the street where the jiu-jitsu master taught for 40 years.

Monument theft

In the most recent episode of monument theft, the Golfinhos Fountain, in Praça Paris, had an electrical cable and one of the pumps in the hydraulic system cut ten days after it was reopened.

Category:

• Conservation and Public Services
• News

30 May 2025

Appointments: copacabana statue of Master Carlson Gracie theft Vandalism