See: Lina bo Bardi’s Trio of Modernist Museums
You should see some modern architecture in Brazil.
São Paulo, Brazil
Architect Lina bo Bardi is one of the icons of Brazil’s very prominent 20th century modernist design movement, and her work graces the São Paulo cityscape. Our favorite places to explore will also take you to three different neighborhoods across the city.
MASP - Museum of Art of São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
Jardim Paulista
This museum is a prominent icon of Avenida Paulista, the central business street of São Paulo. Perched on bulky, red legs, this glass block hovers beside the congested roadway, housing classical art. “Set between the sky and the earth, MASP suspends a voluminous box in the air and opens up a terraced base, forming an urban “ágora” that invites the citizens to become part of the museum’s narrative.”
Morumbi
Created in 1951 as not only her own personal residence, but as a gathering space for other artists, this glass box sits lightly on stilts in a lush garden. Inside, the glass seems to open up infinitely to the outside, as though one was living on the precipice between in and out. It is considered one of the most important pieces of modern architecture in Brazil, and is now a museum dedicated to her life’s work.
Pompéia
This cultural center offers a cinema, performance stage for concerts, food venues, sports courts, and a public gathering space. Its vertical concrete towers with pivoting bridges are visibly wild against the orthogonal urban landscape. Formally a barrel factory, this 1982 project of adaptive reuse captured Bo Bardi’s vision of a “social utopia.”
From top left: MASP, Casa do Vidro, SESC, and Casa do Vidro
Photo source: Gestalten, JSTOR, Cultured, Dezeen, ArchEyes
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