Shaping the art collection

Coleção de Arte da Cidade

Sem título (Sem data) by RugendasCentro Cultural São Paulo

1930 a 1942

The first artworks that constitute the collection were acquired by the end of the 1930s, during the administration of Rubens Borba de Moraes, then director of the Municipal Library. The first batch acquired consists of artistic documents with historical importance. According to Borba de Moraes, the first acquisition dates back to a period of economic hardship for the Munich Pinacotheca (Art Museum), in Germany, when they had to sold a part of their archives, especially Rugendas works, that came to Brazil. Under such circumstances, the Municipal Library acquired 35 Rugendas drawings.

Cortejo imperial (1822) by RugendasCentro Cultural São Paulo

One of the most renowned among the traveling artists from the 19th century, Johann Moritz Rugendas came to Brazil in 1821, as a draughtsman-documentary maker for the Langsdorff Expedition, sponsored by a Russian Tzar.

Sem título, Rugendas, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Sem título, Rugendas, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Aldea des Tapuyos (1824) by RugendasCentro Cultural São Paulo

In 1824, Rugendas left the expedition, but continued to draw the Brazilian ethnic characters, traditions, landscapes, flora and fauna.

São Cristovão, Rugendas, 1822, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Vacca Dal fero (1822/1825) by RugendasCentro Cultural São Paulo

Estudo de corpo de negros sentados e um deitado, Rugendas, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Sem título, Rugendas, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Sem título, Rugendas, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Rua Direita no Rio de Janeiro (1822/1825) by RugendasCentro Cultural São Paulo

In Europe, he published Voyage pittoresque dans Brésil, with illustrations and watercolors based on the drawings made during his time in Brazil. The Collection includes 48 works acquired in the end of the 1930s.

Vila de Ipojuca (1640) by Frans PostCentro Cultural São Paulo

The oldest art work of the Coleção de Arte da Cidade belong to Frans Post. Dated 1640.

Rio Grande do Norte (1650) by Frans PostCentro Cultural São Paulo

Vaso com flores (Sem data) by Pedro AlexandrinoCentro Cultural São Paulo

Specialized in still life, when he was 11 years old, he helped to paint the Cathedral of Campinas. He was a pupil of Almeida Jr, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and received a scholarship in France.

Sem título, Pedro Américo, 1886, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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When he was nine years old, he was the drawer of the Expedition of the naturalist Jean Brunet to the Northeast region. He studied in Rio de Janeiro and received a scholarship in France. He taught at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts.

Il Principe (...) dell' Allemagna, Pedro Américo, 1886, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Probably made in Italy, this brief sketch belonging to the Collection shows lines of some horses and the physiognomy of a prince with Prussian military uniform.

Untitled (Sem data) by Jorge de MendonçaCentro Cultural São Paulo

Morro do Jaraguá, Jorge de Mendonça, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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The artist devoted himself exclusively to painting, portraying mainly the Brazilian nature, with poetry and sensitivity. Morro do Jaraguá highlights one important landmark in São Paulo.

Part of the town of Rio de Janeiro view from the edge of the mud fort of Bairra Vermelha (1825) by Maria GrahamCentro Cultural São Paulo

After living in India, Italy and Chile, the British writer Maria Graham stayed in Brazil between 1822 and 1823, when she was, when she was invited to be preceptor of the princess Maria da Glória.

Rio de Janeiro (1825) by Maria GrahamCentro Cultural São Paulo

A skilled artist mainly in drawing and watercolor, she left numerous landscape illustrations and notes about her wanderings around Brazil.

Untitled (1882) by Almeida JuniorCentro Cultural São Paulo

Almeida Jr was a pupil of Vitor Meirelles and studied received a scholarship to study in Paris. He stood out with paintings using São Paulo as main theme, where the regional luminosity and colors are highlighted.

Morte de Fernão Dias Paes Leme, Antônio Parreiras, 1920, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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This painting represents the agony of the Bandeirantes (settlers and explorers) from São Paulo, in a forest landscape. It integrates the set of historical paintings of the artist, specifically about the São Paulo history.

Fundação de São Paulo (1913) by Antônio ParreirasCentro Cultural São Paulo

He was a pupil of Vitor Meirelles, who has helped to support his career as a historical painter. He has established his own school. He was one of the most popular painters of the First Republic.

The painting represents the foundation of the city of São Paulo, where religion was a unifying element.
Detail of the priest during the opening mass of the city.

The representation shows indigenous and whites and Indians united by their religiousness.

Estudo para a Negra (1923) by Tarsila do AmaralCentro Cultural São Paulo

1943 a 1959

In 1945, Sergio Milliet, along with Maria Eugenia Franco, officially opens the section of Art of the Municipal Library, first public collection of Brazilian Modern Arts, beginning a project of modern art collecting in the country, which created a collection of drawings, illustrations and paintings, which is fundamental for the study and understanding of the history of visual arts in Brazil. Besides the works of Brazilian and foreigner artists related to the modernist movement, works of Miró, Léger, Matisse were acquired, among others.

Estudo para La tasse, Tarsila do Amaral, 1923, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Preparatory drawing for the La Tasse painting, in which the creation of the nude refers to the circular shapes subject to vertical and horizontal lines, Léger-like.

Portal com gente, Tarsila do Amaral, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Paisagem, Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Mulher com criança na paisagem (Sem data) by Tarsila do AmaralCentro Cultural São Paulo

Fazenda (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil"), Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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The Collection covers the set of original illustrations from Tarsila do Amaral for the poems "Pau-Brasil" (1925), of Oswald de Andrade.

Pinheiros (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil"), Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Tarsila brought influences from the painting studios she had visited in Paris, but she knew how to amalgamate her Brazilian roots to the formal theories of Gleizes, Lhote and Léger, who influenced her Pau-Brasil phase.

Pão de Açúcar (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil") (1925) by Tarsila do AmaralCentro Cultural São Paulo

Cidade (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil"), Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Locomotiva (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil"), Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Barco (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil") (1925) by Tarsila do AmaralCentro Cultural São Paulo

Amor (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil"), Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Flor Gente (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil"), Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Carnaval (Ilustração para "Pau Brasil"), Tarsila do Amaral, 1925, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Paisagem antropofágica, Tarsila do Amaral, 1930, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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That phase was followed by the Anthropophagy phase, a movement that was more liberated from the forms and combined with the native imagination.

Retrato de Sérgio Milliet, Tarsila do Amaral, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Writer, arts and literature critic, Sérgio Milliet took part in the Modern Art Week in São Paulo, in 1922. He was the director of the Municipal Library and created the Section of Arts, which originated this Collection. Portrait made by Tarsila.

Gato (Sem data) by Sérgio MillietCentro Cultural São Paulo

Milliet was the director of the Museum of Modern Art and helped creating the São Paulo Biennial art show (Bienal de São Paulo), to which he was the curator. He was essential for the development and dissemination of Modern Art in Brazil.

Sem título, Sérgio Milliet, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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The Section of Art founded by Milliet may be considered as one of the first modern art centers in Brazil.

Sérgio Milliet (Sem data) by Joaquim FigueiraCentro Cultural São Paulo

Sculptor and painter of the Família Artística Paulista (São Paulo Artistic Family) he was influenced by the French Art Exhibition, and began to experiment Cézanne lessons. In this plaster, the marks of the modeling process are highlighted

Cena de rua, Djanira, 1947, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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The artist choose popular themes and flat painting. This work shows several coordinating scenes, confirming the narrative style: the figures are structured, the lines are continual and rounded.

Cadavre exquis, Lourival Gomes Machado; Sérgio Milliet e Mário Neme, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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"Poetry collectively assembled", that's how Paul Eluard used to define the game Exquisite Corpse (Cadavre Exquis). Here, three critics and writers try the game.

Sem título (1949) by Antônio BandeiraCentro Cultural São Paulo

Bandeira was one of the predecessors of the Brazilian abstract painting. In this watercolor from the archives, he distributes luminosity and transparency in the small spots interconnected by the subtle nankeen drawing.

Cavalo morto, Marcelo Grassmann, 1944, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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In 1946 he took part of the "Quatro Novíssimos" (Four Brand-New) Exhibition, an initial part of the "Grupo de 19 Pintores" (Group of 19 Painters). He studied in Rome and Vienna. As an engraver, we can perceive a great symbolic meaning, revealing his admiration for Doré e Goeld.

Cavalos, Marcelo Grassmann, 1944, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Grassmann developed an unparalleled journey with his gloomy drawings and illustrations, with very accurate technique and a mythical theme, close to the medieval imagery and woodcuts tradition.

Untitled (1950) by Geraldo de BarrosCentro Cultural São Paulo

Cangaceiro I (1955) by Aldemir MartinsCentro Cultural São Paulo

Aldemir devoted himself to themes from the Brazilian northeast: "cangaceiros" (Northeast outlaws), "rendeiras" (Women that produce lace; weaver) and "retirantes" (migrants, refugee). After that moment, he adds new themes: cats, roosters, flowers... Over time, the forms became cleaner.

Rendeira, Aldemir Martins, 1955, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Esquina do Boulervard Saint-Severin (1952) by Marina CaramCentro Cultural São Paulo

In the 1950s, Marina Caram went to Paris and made several works of lithography, working with a figuration of expressionist features, with an accumulation of graphic registrations and prismatic distortions.

Isso e que e (1976) by Antonio ManuelCentro Cultural São Paulo

1961 a 1981

In 1961 the creation of the Municipal Pinacotheca (Art Museum) was formalized, assimilating the Section of Art and other works which were spread among several municipal. The expansion of the Section of Art to the Art Library takes place in 1975, when Maria Eugenia Franco creates IDART (Departamento de Informação e Documentação Artística - Department of Artistic Information and Documentation), another significant moment of the Collection. In that occasion occurred the acquisition of works of Lygia Pape, Antonio Manual, among others.

Corpo fechado, Antonio Manuel, 1975, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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The municipal collection has two newspaper Flans (Graphic Matrices), with high and bas-relief, produced by Antônio Manuel in the workshops of the O Dia newspaper, from Rio de Janeiro.

Jornais clandestinos (1975) by Antônio ManuelCentro Cultural São Paulo

The collection also features a set of newspapers from the 1970s, with interventions that, according to the artist, were created because of a "passion for the vehicle", because it captures the immediate reality.

... trabalhava era com amor...- Ilustração para O capote de Nicolau Gogol, Aldo Bonadei, 1945, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Aldo Bonadei joined the Santa Helena Group and was one of the first artists in the country to create abstract works. Painted still life, landscapes, images and hybrid composition.

Untitled (1971) by Aldo BonadeiCentro Cultural São Paulo

In the paintings, specially in the landscapes, he started to investigate the composition from Cézanne, when modulating forms, distributing colors and lines creating volume and depth.

Us, Gabriel Borba, 1975, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Sem título, Julio Plaza, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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The artist questions the means, the process, the production, the market, the authorship of the work, the criticism, the institution and everything involving the context where it is made.

Untitled (1966) by Clovis GracianoCentro Cultural São Paulo

Clóvis Graciano took part in the Santa Helena Group and the Família Artística Paulista. Since then, his work is marked by the presence of the human figure/form and by the social issues.

The desert - Let it absorb, Antonio Dias, Sem data, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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This work belongs to a series made by Antônio Dias in 1970, which was essential for the development of his poetics.

Untitled [momentos da construção do Centro Cultural São Paulo, 6] (1982) by Gladys MaldaunCentro Cultural São Paulo

1982 - present

With its creation in 1982, Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP, São Paulo Culture Center) assumes the collection of the Municipal Pinacotheca. From 2008, with the restructuring of the CCSP, the Pinacotheca becomes the "Coleção de Arte da Cidade" (City Art Collection).

Untitled [momentos da construção do Centro Cultural São Paulo, 34] (1982) by Gladys MaldaunCentro Cultural São Paulo

Sem título, José Spaniol, 1989, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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José Spaniol started to work in São Paulo in the 1980s. The artist created this work for his first exhibition, which took place in the Paulo Figueiredo Gallery, in 1990.

Untitled, Stela Barbieri, 2002, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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In this monotype, instead of pencil, paintbrush or pen, Stela Barbieri uses cloth soaked in red ink, and brings to her work her constant search for different materials and procedures.

Arara (1985) by Flávio ImpérioCentro Cultural São Paulo

The piece of work is exposed in the CCSP, in the ramp to the subway access.

Untitled, Carlito Carvalhosa, 1989, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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After joining the Casa 7 Group (1985), Carvalhosa created this work for an exhibition in the Paulo Figueiredo Gallery, in 1989. The material aspect of the painting paved the way to a new phase of the artist.

Sem título, Paulo Monteiro, 1994, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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As a part of the Casa 7 Group, at the beginning of 1980, Paulo Monteiro presented his first individual exhibition in 1987, and in 1994, he took part in the XXII Bienal Internacional de São Paulo.

Série Anamorfas (martelos), Regina Silveira, 1980, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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In "Anamorfas" (Anamorphous), Regina Silveira subverts the perspective systems and reinvents those codes, in order to get new possibilities of signification and questioning about the perception and the visual representation.

O Livro (os Cem) (1987) by Jac LeirnerCentro Cultural São Paulo

Untitled, Anatol Wladyslaw, 1946, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Anatol Wladyslaw was one of the precursors of the abstract art in Brazil. In 1952 he took part in the Ruptura (Disruption) Group, along with Luis Sacilotto and Waldemar Cordeiro. The municipal archive has a collection with 112 works from the artist.

Hitler (1979) by Anatol WladyslawCentro Cultural São Paulo

In 1957, he leaves the geometric art and turns to the informal abstraction. In the subsequent years, his work walks back towards the figuration, where the symbolic elements prevail.

Untitled (1997) by Célia EuvaldoCentro Cultural São Paulo

... Com Hiroshige para os meres e as águas (série Local de Ação), Anna Bella Geiger, 1997, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Guarany (2004) by Paulo ClimachauskaCentro Cultural São Paulo

e-CCSP I (2007) by Pedro PerezCentro Cultural São Paulo

In the work, the artist uses a digital image of the CCSP to make his interventions.

e-CCSP II, Pedro Perez, 2007, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Dia 20 de abril às 8h (2007) by João MusaCentro Cultural São Paulo

Dia 20 de abril às 9h e 2min, João Musa, 2007, From the collection of: Centro Cultural São Paulo
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Rinoceronte (2004) by Hudinilson JuniorCentro Cultural São Paulo

Ecco Narcisus (1991) by HudinilsonCentro Cultural São Paulo

Hudinilson had his first exhibition in 1976 and, since then, he had worked with a number of different supports. He was one of the pioneers of Xerography, founder of the 3NÓS3 Group and an active participant of the mail art.

Ecco Narcisus (1991) by HudinilsonCentro Cultural São Paulo

Ecco Narcisus (1991) by HudinilsonCentro Cultural São Paulo

Credits: Story

Exhibition - Seção de Arte: Shaping the art collection
Curated: Divisão de Acervo, Documentação e Conservação e Curadoria de Artes Visuais
Text: Marcio Harum, Maria Adelaide Nascimento Pontes, texts from the book Coleção de Arte da Cidade: Banco Safra: 2005 from Maria Camila Duprat, Stella Teixeira de Barros
Photos: João Mussolin, Sossô Parma, Rômulo Fialdini
Google Cultural Institute Exhibition: Camila Romano, Eduardo Niero, Talita Malacrida, Luciana Nicolau

City Hall of São Paulo Fernando Haddad
Department of Culture Nabil Bonduki

Centro Cultural São Paulo | General Direction Pena Schmidt | Administrative Division Diogo Lima Oliveira and staff | Division of Curator and Programming Luciana Schwinden and staff | Division of Collection, Documentation and Conservation Eduardo Navarro Niero Filho and staff | Division Libraries Juliana Lazarim and staff | Division of Production and Support Events Luciana Mantovani and staff | Information and Communication Division Marcio Yonamine and staff | Division of Cultural and Educational Action Alexandre Araujo Bispo and staff | Project Technical Coordinator Priscilla Maranhão and staff

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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