The Gabriela Mistral Museum Room at the University of Chile will reopen on Wednesday, July 1, the exhibition of more than one thousand seashells donated by the poet in 1954.
The exhibition titled “Mollusca. Poesía de Caracolas. Sumergirse en la Colección Neruda” will be available free of charge at the Casa Central, located at Avenida Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins 1058, Santiago. It remained temporarily closed for maintenance work and will again display specimens from families such as Murex, Cypraea and Nautilus, including the Thatcheria mirabilis given to the poet in 1951.
Pablo Neruda donated the collection in 1954 with the aim of “returning to the people universal culture and the seashells”. The exhibition includes artistic devices that invite reflection on the ecological crisis and marine biodiversity. It has the scientific advice of malacologist Cecilia Osorio.
In addition, the bilingual book “Del océano al verso. Las caracolas de Pablo Neruda” was published, edited by the Archivo Central Andrés Bello. Visiting hours are Tuesday to Thursday from 10:30 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 16:30, and Fridays from 10:30 to 14:00.