New Tom Jobim statue inaugurated in Rio

A bronze statue was inaugurated Monday (Dec 8) on Ipanema Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, as a tribute to singer and songwriter Tom Jobim. The ceremony was held on his 20th death anniversary, and gathered friends, relatives and admirers of the artist.

Sculptor Christina Motta, who crafted the statue, said she was free to choose its shape: “I chose the time when Tom was at his peak and became known worldwide. I based [my work] on a picture of him at the inauguration ceremony of Brasília, in 1961, in which he's walking with a guitar on his back.”

Tom Jobim's widow, Ana Jobim, said she was happy with the sculpture: “A tribute is always welcome. This one in particular is very kind; Tom was an Ipanema boy and used to go fishing here. It turned out beautiful.” 

Journalist Sérgio Cabral added that the musician was a typical Rio native from the city's South Zone, where Ipanema is located. “He loved the place, even though he was really the international type. He spent some time in the United States[...], but the place he really liked was Ipanema.”

Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim, as his full name was, was a songwriter, a conductor, a pianist, a singer, an arranger, and a guitar player. The US magazine Rolling Stone dubbed him “the biggest icon of Brazilian popular music.”

He was also one of the names behind the creation of bossa nova, in addition to having composed songs like the Garota de Ipanema (Girl from Ipanema), and Samba do Avião (Song of the Jet),  which later on became symbols of Rio de Janeiro, achieved international fame, and had different versions of them recorded by musicians all across the globe. On a race with such music giants as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley, Tom Jobim won the Grammy Award for Song of Year in 1964, for his Garota de Ipanema.

Tom Jobim died on December 8, 1994, aged 67, in New York, following a heart failure, while fighting against cancer.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira