Brazilian Art at its Best at the Sao Paulo Museum Pinacoteca do Estado

In order to truly understand and appreciate Brazilian contributions to art, the Sao Paulo Museum Pinacoteca do Estado is the one place you can’t afford to miss – it is one of the best curated art collections in the entire city, and is the perfect place to spend an afternoon just browsing and admiring the contributions that Brazil’s best artists have made to the collective creativity of the world.

In 1997, the roof and many of the walls in the museum were removed and renovated, replacing harsh divisions with open, well-lit spaces, and latticework glass dividers – and these were accented by a series of connecting catwalks. This is the place to see 19th and 20th century Brazilian artistry, from the earliest pieces of still life works by Joao Batista Pagini and Georgina d Albuquerque to landscape paintings by Joao da Costa and Antionio Parreiras.

While viewing the collection, it isn’t to difficult to visualize the progression made by these artists who were trying to break free of European artistic conventions and develop a style of their own – as the paintings and art pieces move toward the 20th century, there is a clear distinction made as colorful Brazilian pieces emerge, obviously full of life and energy, a clear contrast to the subdued and often muted tones of the previous century’s work.

The Sao Paulo Museum Pinacoteca do Estado also has many lovely examples of Brazilian sculpture, including ‘O Brasiliero’ by Raphael Galvez, and a large selection of pieces by renowned artist Alfredo Ceschiatti. In total, there are 5000 objects housed in the museum, and since its establishment in 1905, the building and the collection have become an architectural landmark within the landscape of the city – not to mention that it was actually the first art museum ever established within Sao Paulo!

There are three floors in total at the Sao Paulo Museum Pinacoteca do Estado, while the ground floor also includes a lovely café where you can sit and gaze out into the atrium and reflect on what you’ve seen. In fact, you may find yourself wishing to return at another time, since there are frequent changes made to the temporary exhibit galleries – so that there’s always something new to see.

The Sao Paulo Museum Pinacoteca do Estado is open from Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm, and guided tours are scheduled daily every hour and a half from opening until 2:30pm. Children 10 and under are free, and the cost is extremely reasonable – around $2 USD per person for entrance.

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