A Stroll Through the Museums of São Paulo

Besides preserving cultural heritage, museums play an important part in promoting the work of new artists, as well as employing various professionals including curators, tour guides, and support staff.

Affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) is a reference center for modern and contemporary art, with a major collection of over 10,000 works. Apart from exhibitions, it also promotes guided visits and activities in workshops.

The MAC-USP collection includes works by artists such as Modigliani, Picasso, Miró, Kandinsky, Tarsila do Amaral, Anita Malfatti, Di Cavalcanti, Volpi, Lygia Clark, Cildo Meireles, Leda Catunda, and Rosângela Rennó.

Located on Avenida Pedro Álvares Cabral in Ibirapuera, the MAC is housed in an architectural complex designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer in the 1950s, and has been one of Latin America’s main references for contemporary and modern art since 1963.

Under the canopy of Ibirapuera Park lies the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo, MAM-SP. Founded in 1948, the institution houses more than 5,000 works, including some by Louise Bourgeois, Dora Longo Bahia, Sandra Cinto, Volpi, and Di Cavalcanti, among others.

The MAM building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the 1950s and underwent modifications by Lina Bo Bardi in 1982. In 1993, the institution also added the Sculpture Garden, designed by Roberto Burle Marx.

Casa das Rosas was constructed in 1935 by the firm of the renowned architect Francisco de Paula Ramos de Azevedo. Built on Avenida Paulista during the coffee baron era, the mansion was first home to the architect’s daughter, and housed several generations until the 1980s.

Declared a historic site in 1985 and taken over by the São Paulo State Government the following year, the property became ‘Casa das Rosas – State Art Gallery’ in 1991, hosting temporary exhibitions from the state government’s collection. 

The MIS collection boasts over 200,000 items: videos, testimonials, films, photographs, posters, and cameras. Dedicated to preserving sound and image, the institution was conceived by professionals from journalism and cinema and founded in May 1970.

Focused on expressions beyond the visual arts, MIS has hosted numerous exhibitions related to the world of music, featuring artists like Madonna, Bjork, Rita Lee, John Lennon, and Tina Turner.

A museum to bring children, young people, and adults closer to the scientific world. This is how the Catavento Museum emerged in 2009, spreading art and knowledge through interactive and immersive exhibitions.

Façade of the Museu do Ipiranga

Façade of the Museu da Imigração do Estado de São Paulo, in the neighbourhood of Mooca..

Exhibit at the Museu da Língua Portuguesa in São Paulo

Visitor observes the painting "Abaporu" by Tarsila do Amaral, at the Pinacoteca.

Masp façade on Avenida Paulista