STudents pondering the art at the Pinacoteca - this one was a fountain.
Lots of history and culture today! Started at the Pinacoteca near the Luz Metro Station to see a collection of mostly Brazilian art and sculpture (apart from several Rodin bronzes, not some of his best). There was a special exhibition of Brazilian art deco and another on the work of French painter NIcholas-Antoine Tournay from his time spent in this country. Anyone with an interest in art should definitely come here to get a perspective on the history of Brazilian art. There are 3 levels to the museum, although very little on the basement floor and the building itself is also fascinating - heavily restored, but a great space. We then walked a couple of blocks up the road to the Museum of Sacred Art, housed in an old monastery.
The Museum of Sacred Art.
The displays are laid out really well, and there were plenty of English explanations. There were some lovely old painted altars from farm chapels, not as ornate as in the bigger churches but in our view more pleasing because of that! There is also an impressive collection of silver chandeliers which are hung in a small room and have been lit electrically, so looks amazing. In a separate section of the museum, we saw a diorama of a village perched on a hill, on which there is a nativity scene - all a bit unrelated to the other, but very detailed and well done nonetheless. This museum is reputed to have one of the best collections of sacred art in South America, and we would certainly agree (bearing in mind the pieces are only Brazilian).
The Museo Paulista in Parque Ipiranga.
Jumped back on the metro (and then walked quite a way) to visit the Museo Paulista in the Parque Ipiranga. The park is beautiful, laid out in the French classical style and immaculately maintained. The museum itself is full of fascinating artefacts relating to everyday life, the development of Sao Paulo and Brazilian history. There are several paintings here which are apparently quite famous, but we couldn´t get near them for the millions of school children swarming over the place (mind you, it is their history so we can´t complain!). Well worth a visit, Melissa particularly liked the special display in the room devoted to old irons (the ones for pressing clothes!).
