Have you ever thought about what life was like for the ancients? The new exhibition ‘Sentar, guardar, dormir’ aims to give us a glimpse of this panorama through fundamental objects in our daily lives: furniture. More than 160 pieces show the evolution of furniture over the last four hundred years, revealing how we have evolved to meet three of our basic needs: sitting, storage and sleeping.
The exhibition runs until September 29 at the Ipiranga Museum (Rua dos Patriotas, 100). It is available in the temporary exhibition room, which is free to enter. Be sure not to miss out!
Read more about ‘Sentar, guardar, dormir: Museu da Casa Brasileira and Museu Paulista in dialog’
Can you imagine what a desk would have looked like in the old days? Or a bed in the colonial period? All this and more will be on display in the new exhibition, providing an overview of the demands and way of life of these periods.
As the name suggests, the exhibition brings together objects from two cultural centers. Firstly, the Museu da Casa Brasileira, which is bringing 118 pieces of furniture from its collection. And then the Paulista Museum, whose 46 pieces complement the collection. Together, both collections feature furniture from the 16th to the 21st centuries, revealing the indigenous, Afro-Brazilian and Portuguese heritage of our society.
The show has three main strands. The first, ‘Sentar’, features chairs, armchairs and sofas from the 18th to the 21st century. The highlights include indigenous stools and mats, as well as pieces for work: a barber’s chair and a rare example of a portable dentist’s chair.
Next, the ‘Store’ module features storage objects, including Alberto Santos Dumont’s closet! And finally, ‘Dormir’ shows how Brazilians have been resting since four hundred years ago, whether in Indian hammocks or the beds of important personalities. Spoiler: one of the highlights of this module is the bed of the Marquesa de Santos, one of Emperor Pedro I’s mistresses. I wonder how the noblewoman slept? You have to visit the exhibition to find out!