Art on the streets and in historic buildings in São Paulo

São Paulo, the largest city in Latin America, offers several options when we think of museums, cultural institutes and events for all tastes and types. The most famous museum in the city is the São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand Art Museum, known by locals as MASP, it has a collection made up of around 10,000 works and some of them with names such as Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Renoir and many others. other artists. It is also considered the first modern museum in Brazil. For art lovers, MASP is an essential visit, as well as being a postcard of São Paulo.

Another cultural tour that cannot be missed in São Paulo is the Instituto Artium de Cultura, located in the Higienópolis neighborhood. Artium is a historic mansion from the 1920s, called Palacete Stahl, which for years was owned by several people. The City Council considered it a Historical Heritage Site and it is currently managed by a private body. The Institute offers contemporary works mixing with the history of the Palacete, making the visitor dazzled in every corner.

In the same neighborhood, another cultural tour that is also worth a visit is the Brazilian Art Museum, created by Armando Alvares Penteado and his wife Annie, both art lovers, with the desire to found a school of fine arts, the Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado. The museum features visual arts, mainly Brazilian art, with local artists. Its collection contains Baroque art, featuring sculptures by Aleijadinho and art from Minas Gerais, in addition to the Modernist Collection, where we can see a little more about the Avant-Garde Movement in Brazil, as well as the MAB Fashion Collection, made up of several designers. One of the Museum's attractions is its famous colorful, designed stained glass windows, which as soon as the visitor enters and sees them, they are amazed at what can be said to be a work of art.

In the city center there is the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center, the building served as a Banco do Brasil branch until 1996, its architectural style has French origins and the entrance hall has access to a central atrium, with mosaic floors, wooden counters and a beautiful stained glass window, taking the visitor to an aristocratic atmosphere. Since 2001, the building has become a Cultural Center, offering temporary exhibitions, cinema, theater, among other cultural activities. The most recent exhibition on display at CCBB is that of Marc Chagall.

Another place that we can highlight in the center of São Paulo is Farol Santander, opened in 1947, and at the time the headquarters of the Banco do Estado de São Paulo, it was considered the tallest skyscraper in the city for more than 10 years. In 2001, the Bank closed and the building was occupied by Banespa 17 years later. Banco Santander reopened in the building and currently serves as one of the most famous cultural centers in São Paulo. The Lighthouse's architecture is inspired by the Empire State Building in New York, as well as all the Art Decó decoration by the crystal chandelier that illuminates the center of the room. The building has 35 floors, each of which houses temporary exhibitions at around 160 meters high. The first five floors make the visitor travel back in time and contemplate the space where the Bank was in the 20th century. The following floors have exhibitions and cultural activities, until you reach the most awaited of all, which is the viewpoint, where you have a 360-degree view of the city, allowing you to observe several of São Paulo's historical heritage, a magnificent and unmissable view.

São Paulo, a charming city, with thousands of leisure, eating and experimenting options. For lovers of arts and cultural tours, the options are endless, ranging from classic to contemporary. The alternatives above are both tourist and non-tourist tours and are worth a visit for anyone who can stop by one of the most diverse and intriguing cities in the world.