Although the Independence Museum is São Paulo’s first public museum, inaugurated in 1895, it is considered a history museum. It is responsible for portraying Brazil’s journey from monarchy to democracy. The Pinacoteca de São Paulo, on the other hand, is the oldest art museum in the capital, as its collection brings together Brazilian visual arts productions that are essential to Brazilian art. Learn about its history below!
What is the history of the Pinacoteca de São Paulo?
The Pinacoteca de São Paulo is located in the city center, close to Luz station. The building, which was built in 1900, had Ramos de Azevedo and Domiziano Rossi as architects and was initially going to be the headquarters of the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios, but ended up becoming a museum.
The Pinacoteca stands out for its architecture, which blends the past with the present. To this day, the building has kept some of the most striking elements of its beginnings, but has added the modern architecture needed to expand the space.
About the Pinacoteca’s collection
The Pinacoteca houses one of the largest art collections in the country with more than ten thousand works, most of which are Brazilian paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. Its collection features works by renowned names from our history, such as Almeida Júnior, Pedro Alexandrino, Antônio Parreiras and Oscar Pereira da Silva, as well as Cândido Portinari, Anita Malfatti, Victor Brecheret and Di Cavalcanti.
One of his most famous paintings, for example, is “Antropofagia” by Tarsila do Amaral.
Get to know all the buildings in Pina
There are three buildings open to the public. Firstly, the Pinacoteca Luz, the former headquarters of the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios, which houses the collection mentioned above. Then the Pinacoteca Estação and Pinacoteca Contemporânea.
Opened in 2004, Pina Estação originally housed the warehouses and offices of the Sorocabana Railroad. Today, it houses a café, Pinacoteca offices and temporary exhibitions. In addition, the São Paulo Resistance Memorial is in the same building, preserving the memories of political resistance and repression in the state of São Paulo.
Pina Contemporânea , on the other hand, is the youngest, having only opened in 2023. As well as two galleries with exhibitions, the space has studios for educational activities and the Visual Arts Library. It also has a large public square that hosts a series of cultural activities.
How to visit?
Are you curious to visit the Pinacoteca de São Paulo? Just get your ticket at the box office or on the museum’s website. They start at R$15 (half-price) and give you access to all three buildings.
You can visit them from Wednesday to Monday, from 10am to 6pm, but you can only enter until 5pm. On Saturdays, entry is free to all buildings.
📍 Luz: Praça da Luz, 2
Estação: Largo General Osório, 66
Contemporânea: Avenida Tiradentes, 273