Pinacoteca do Estado

Project Name: Pinacoteca do Estado
Construction year: 1905
Website: www.pinacoteca.org.br
Address: Praça da Luz, 2 , SAO PAULO - Brazil

Architect(s) : Ramos de Azevedo
Project Category: Cultural

Latitude: -23.5343
Longitude: -46.6337

The Pinacoteca do Estado

The Pinacoteca do Estado de Sao Paulo (Portuguese for-pinacotheca of the state of Sao Paulo-) is one of the most important art museums in Brazil. It is housed in a 1900 building in Jardim da Luz, Downtown Sao Paulo, projected by Ramos de Azevedo and Domiziano Rossi to be the headquarters of the Lyceum of Arts and Crafts. It is the oldest art museum in Sao Paulo, founded in December 24th, 1905, and established as a state museum since 1911.

After passing through a reform conducted by Paulo Mendes da Rocha in the 1990s, the museum became one of the most dynamic cultural institutions of the country, lining up with the international circuit of exhibitions, hosting cultural events and keeping an active bibliographic production. Mendes da Rocha worked on the organization of gallery spaces, created new spaces, and resolved problems with humidity. Glass roofs framed with metal were placed over the central and side courtyards. Frames were stripped from the internal window openings so that they would provide outside views. The central courtyard was turned into a slightly sunken auditorium to accommodate 40 people. Metal catwalks were installed through the courtyards to connect the galleries at the upper levels. Pinacoteca also maintains a branch in Bom Retiro district, called Estaçao Pinacoteca, where it holds temporary exhibitions and the institution s documentation center.

The Pinacoteca has a wide-range collection of Brazilian art, mainly noted for its vast assemblage of 19th century paintings and sculptures, one of the largest in the country, as well as for a number of iconic Brazilian Modernist artworks. The collection also includes a department of works on paper, European paintings and sculptures from 19th century artists, decorative arts, etc.

Contributed by ArchiTeam