Sao Paulo Travel Guide: Sao Paulo Museums

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) is a wonderfully modern and famous collection of fine art on Paulista Avenue (No. 1578) held in a gallery with striking geometrical architecture. It has a fascinating collection of over 8,000 works by predominantly European artists of great fame (Rembrandt, Monet, Renoir, Picasso, and Van Gogh to name but a few!) alongside a significant handful of Brazilian pieces as well. The sheer quality and variety of the extraordinary works on display mean that many consider this to be the most important collection of western art in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere. www.masp.art.br

For a more traditional look at Brazilian art, travelers should check out the Pinacoteca do Estado museum. This is a tasteful and broad retrospective of art in the country over the last 2 centuries with more than 6,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings, photographs, and tapestries adorning the walls. Jose Almeida Junior, Cândido Portinari, Oscar Pereira Da Silva, Emilio di Cavalcanti, Lasar Segall, and Anna Maria Maiolini are just a few of the famous artists who have work on display here. The architecture of the building is also splendid: a 19th century mansion with smart perpendicular edges built from rich brown bricks.

One of the 3 important museums at Parque Do Ibirapuera (Portao 3, Avenida Pedro Alvares Cabral), the Museu de Arte Moderna is a great space for some of the more modern artwork produced in Brazil; the 2,000-painting collection dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Their mission is to "collect, study, encourage and diffuse contemporary and modern Brazilian Art, making it accessible to the greatest number of people possible;" well worth a visit for travelers at Ibirapuera.

Bienal Internacional de Arte de São Paulo is another of the museums at Ibirapuera Park designed by acclaimed architect Oscar Niemeyer. This is a wide open and modern space at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion that is crafted from concrete, steel, and glass into a swish, smooth, and energetic interior of flowing curves. Italian-Brazilian Ciccillo Matarazzo was the founder of the show that started in 1951 and has taken place biannually ever since. The São Paulo Art Biennial is renowned for hosting cutting edge shows of famous International and Brazilian art. The rotating curators of the show are instrumental in ensuring that the art scene in São Paulo remains fresh and internationally recognized.

A visit to the Museu da Imigracãno Japonesa (Museum of Japanese Immigration) in Bairro Liberdade is a great way to explore the strong influence that Japanese people have had on the city and country throughout recent history.