São Paulo's 11 Best Museums and Galleries

The São Paulo Art Museum, or simply MASP, is the flagship of the city’s museums. The four red concrete pillars on which the museum sits create a landmark on São Paulo’s most famous street, Avenida Paulista. Founded in 1947, MASP was the first modern museum in the country. Today it brings together more than 10,000 works, including paintings, sculptures, objects, photographs and clothing from various periods, covering the European, African, Asian and American continents. On the second floor, visitors can take a peek at Lina Bo Bardi’s controversial crystal easels. Bardi created the easels back in 1968 shaking up the Brazilian art community with this radical design statement. In 1996 the easels were removed, but returned in 2015 to hold paintings of, Rembrandt, Cézanne, Renoir, Manet, Matisse, Volpi and Portinari, as well as contemporary, modern artists.
Opening Hours: Tuesdays 10am-8pm; Wednesday-Sunday: 10am-6pm. Closed on Mondays.

São Paulo’s Modern Art Museum (MAM) was founded in 1948 and is one of the oldest modern art museums in Latin America. Its collection has more than 5,000 works produced by the biggest names in Brazilian modern and contemporary art. Nestled among the trees and vegetation of the Ibirapuera Park the museum’s entrance welcomes visitors with colorful scenes created by the graffiti artists OSGEMEOS. Inside you can see one of the seven versions of Maman, a gigantic bronze spider, the work of artist Louise Bourgeois. The surroundings of the museum are remarkable in themselves. The sculpture garden was designed by famous Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx and houses 30 sculptures in an area of 6,000 square meters.

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Closed on Mondays.

The Museum of Image and Sound of São Paulo, or simply MIS was inaugurated in 1970 and has more than 200,000 items. It is a mix of what is most relevant and current including photographs, films, videos and posters. In addition to regular exhibitions and film showings, the museum has played host to world-class shows such as the career and productions of Stanley Kubrick (2013) and a retrospective on the life and music of David Bowie,which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. The museum also offers the monthly program Cinematographo, which features mute movie projections with live music accompaniment.

Opening Hours: Tuesdays to Fridays 10am-8pm; Saturdays 10am-9pm; Sundays 10am-7pm. Closed on Mondays.

Inaugurated in 1905, the Pinacoteca of the State of São Paulo is the oldest art museum in the city and state. The collection today has around 9,000 works, from artists like Anita Malfatti, Bourdelle and Rodin. The first floor of the building is reserved for temporary exhibitions while the second floor holds the museum’s permanent collection. The Pinacoteca has two buildings nearby to each other. The first is the main museum building itself with works by famous artists and temporary exhibitions. The second is in the building that was once the São Paulo state’s infamous Department for Political and Social Order. A place where interrogations and reported tortures of ‘enemies of the state’ were conducted during the country’s military dictatorship. The building now houses a memorial to the resistance movement and the political repression of that time.

Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10am-5.30pm; Closed on Tuesdays

Die-hard football (soccer) fans visiting São Paulo can gain an insight into Brazilian passion for the sport at the Museu do Futebol, located at the entrance of the Pacaembu Stadium. The museum shows the history of football, Brazilian football legends and the World Cupsince its beginning in 1930. It has old movie clips and radio transmissions from famous football games, interviews with football personalities in Brazil and an entire room dedicated to Brazil’s football ‘king’ Pele. Another favorite is a screening room where visitors can see the final moments of the 1950 World Cup final when Uruguay beat Brazil 2-1 in the final minutes of the second half, silence overtook the stadium the moment Uruguay scored the winning goal.

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 9am-6pm. Closed on Mondays.

Created to be an interactive space presenting science in an exciting way for children and adults, the Catavento Museum is one of the most visited museums in the city. Here visitors can touch a real meteorite, get to know the human body from the inside, understand how an energy generator works and find out that the Sun, seen from close up, is not as round as you may think. The museum is divided into four sections: Universe – from outer space to Earth; Life – from the first living being to human life; Ingenuity – man’s creations; and Society – controversial issues of human society.

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9am-5pm. Closed on Mondays.

Although not technically an art gallery, anyone who loves street art needs to take stroll down Beco do Batman. Otherwise an ordinary cobbled alleyway in the neighbourhood of Vila Madalena, Sao Paulo’s most successful graffiti artists have taken over this space. Every bit of wall space is covered in brightly coloured graffiti works varying in theme and style. The people of Sao Paulo are proud of the Beco do Batman and so they should be – it’s undoubtedly an artistic wonder.

Recommended by Chloe Hay.

A space to create and disseminate contemporary art amidst the bustling city streets of Sao Paulo, Galeria Vermelho displays works of numerous local Brazilian talents. Carmela Gross, Chiara Banfi, Daniel Senise, Ivan Argote and Lia Chaia are just a few of the budding artists whose works can be admired here. The gallery is divided into three rooms and often has two exhibitions occurring simultaneously with two rooms dedicated to the bigger exhibition and one set aside for the smaller one. Opened over 10 years ago, the Galeria Vermelho has firmly established itself as one of the city’s leading art galleries and as such attracts a wide variety of both established and emerging artists eager to have their works displayed here.
Recommended by Chloe Hay.

Named after famed artist Tomie Ohtake, the Instituto Cultural Tomie Ohtake continuously represents the latest trends in both national and international art across its exhibition spaces. Split over seven floors, at 7,500-square metres, this is a gallery of huge proportions. The space includes an education sector, four studios, seminar room, a restaurant, bookstore and shop. Current and previous exhibitions have focused on works by internationally acclaimed Salvador Dali, photographer Cristiano Mascaro and graphic designer Kiko Farkas.

Recommended by Chloe Hay.

With a firm belief in the ‘autonomy of creative processes’, the Luciana Brito Galeria works closely with its featured artists, enabling them to host monographic publications and exhibitions both within their own gallery space and at other art institutions around the city. A strong focus is also put on exhibiting the works of the rising stars of the Brazilian art scene in addition to featuring extraordinary pieces by highly acclaimed international artists such as Alex Katz and Marina Abramović. Certainly a cutting edge contemporary art gallery, the Luciana Brito Galeria should be included on any art tour around Sao Paulo.

Recommended by Chloe Hay.

More than just a run of the mill art gallery, the Matilha Cultural defines itself as a space for art, cinema, happy hours, debate and activism, where dogs, cats and humans are all equally welcome. Although it may sound like a bit of a hippy gallery, the Matilha Cultural continues to be one of Sao Paulo’s most popular artistic venues. Add this to your artsy itinerary for the chance to really get into the mindset of Sao Paulo’s creative circle and get involved in some deep and often heated cultural discussions.

Recommended by Chloe Hay.

From the Amazon jungle to the ancient alleyways of Salvador and the breathtaking beaches of Florianópolis, Brazil is a country of extraordinary diversity. Discover São Paulo’s dynamic culture, be in awe at Iguaçu Falls’ might, or relax in Bahia’s serenity. Brazil has everything, whether you’re interested in history, adventure, or leisure. For the full Brazilian experience, check out our excursions!