The purpose of the presentation is to investigate some transformations that occurred in the sphere of Brazilian art criticism in the 21st century, especially with regard to the relationship between criticism, power and the public sphere. For this, the focus will be on the analysis of the case involving the exhibition “Histórias Brasileiras”, held at MASP, in 2022. Throughout the show’s organization process, co-curators Sandra Benites and Clarissa Diniz went public, through a letter, accusing the cancellation of their curatorial approach and, consequently, of their own participation in the exhibition. From this episode, there was a series of public replies, between the curators and the museum, as well as a heated debate in the press and on social media. Based on the discourse analysis of the different agents involved in the event, it is intended to investigate what critical understandings are at stake, its means of reception and its capacity for intervention and public resonance.