Achillina Bo, better known as Lina Bo Bardi, was an Italian-Brazilian modernist architect who marked the city with her works. Lina studied at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Rome during the 1930s and moved to Brazil after marrying journalist and art critic Pietro Maria Bardi in 1946.
In Brazil, the couple settled in the Morumbi neighborhood, where she designed the residence that became known as the Glass House. Lina quickly became a constant presence in the country’s intellectual life, interacting with various personalities in Brazilian culture, including Assis Chateubriand, who invited her in the 1950s to design the MASP.
Lina Bo Bardi in SP:
Glass House
Considered one of the landmarks of modern architecture in Brazil, the Glass House was designed by the Italian architect and built between 1950 and 1951 in the Morumbi area of São Paulo. The residence was the architect’s first project in São Paulo and Brazil and became known as the Glass House precisely because of its large glass façade, which is easily seen by passers-by.
📍Rua General Almério de Moura, 200 – Morumbi
Assis Chateaubriand Art Museum of São Paulo (MASP)
The building is considered by many to be Lina’s masterpiece. The MASP project became famous for the 70-meter span that extends under four huge pillars, designed by engineer José Carlos de Figueiredo Ferraz. MASP has become one of São Paulo’s postcards and is listed by the three heritage protection bodies: IPHAN, Condephaat and Conpresp.
📍Avenida Paulista, 1578 – Bela Vista
SESC Pompeia
At the end of the 1970s, Lina executed one of her most paradigmatic works, SESC Pompeia, which became a strong reference for the history of architecture in the second half of the 20th century. This SESC unit includes theaters, sports courts, swimming pools, snack bars, restaurants, exhibition spaces, a beer garden, workshops, a reading area and free internet, among other services.
📍Rua Clélia, 93 – Água Branca
Oficina Theater
This is the headquarters of the Teatro Oficina Uzyna Uzona theater company, founded in 1958 and led by José Celso Martinez Corrêa. Although the company had another headquarters, destroyed by a fire, the architectural project that gave prominence to the theater was designed by Lina Bo Bardi. In 2015, Teatro Oficina was chosen by The Guardian newspaper as the best theater in the world in the architectural design category.
📍Rua Jaceguai, 520 – Bela Vista
