Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Estação
Pinacoteca e
Largo General Osório 66. Map 1 C1.
Tel (011) 3337 0185. Q Luz. @
# 10am-6pm Tue-Sun. & free
admission on Sat.
Located in an attractive early
20th-century Neo-Classical
building, the annex of the
Pinacoteca do Estado (see
pp140-41) is one of the
city's best contemporary
exhibition spaces. Some
of Brazil's finest Modernist
paintings, taken from the
archive of the Fundação
José e Paulina Nemirovsky,
are displayed here.
An important milestone
in Brazilian Modernism is
Antropofagia by Tarsila
do Amaral (1886-1973),
the founder of the vital
antropofagismo movement
(see pp30-31) . There are also
key pieces by Candido
Portinari, Anita Malfatti, and
Lasar Segall. International art is
represented by Marc Chagall,
Pablo Picasso, and Georges
Braque, among others.
Elegant façade of the Mosteiro da Luz, housing the Museu Arte Sacra
Museu Arte Sacra q
Av Tiradentes 676. Tel (011) 3326
1373. Q Tiradentes. @
# 11am-7pm Tue-Sun. &
masters such as Benedito
Calixto and Mestre Athayde.
Of special significance is
the one that depicts Padre
Anchieta taming a wild ocelot
with the cross, a symbol
of the Jesuit founder of São
Paulo's mission to the indig-
enous Brazilians.
Often overlooked by visitors,
this small museum boasts one
of the finest collections of
religious artifacts in the
Americas. The exhibits are
housed in a large wing of a
distinguished colonial build-
ing, the early 19th-century
Mosteiro da Luz. Restful and
serene, the entire complex is
a peaceful haven from the
frenetic chaos of São Paulo.
The museum's priceless
objects and artifacts include
lavish monstrances (cere-
monial vessels), ecclesiastical
jewelry, and church altar-
pieces. Of particular note is
the statuary, with pieces by
many of the most important
Brazilian Baroque masters
such as Aleijadinho, Mestre
Valentim, and Frei Agostinho
da Piedade. One of the gems
is the 18th-century Mary
Magdalene by Francisco
Xavier de Brito, which dis-
plays an effortless unity of
motion and melancholy
contemplation. Among the
sculptures, mostly by
anonymous Brazilian
indigenous artists, two
pieces stand out - a
majestic African-
Brazilian São Bento
(with blue eyes) and
an exquisitely detailed
18th-century Neapolitan
nativity crib comprising
around 2,000 pieces,
which is the most
important of its kind
outside Naples.
The collection also
features works by
18th-century
Estação da Luz w
Praça da Luz 1. Tel (0800) 550 121.
Q Luz. @
One of modern Brazil's
prominent symbols of
industrial progress, São
Paulo's railway station was
built in 1901. The design
of the Estação da Luz is a
homage to the English rail-
road, and imitates the
Victorian eclectic style.
Just like all of São Paulo's
railways, Estação da Luz was
the creation of Brazil's first
industrialist, the Visconde
de Mauá. After a visit to
London in the 1840s,
Mauá was convinced that
Brazil's future lay in rapid
industrialization. He founded
an ironworks, employing
some 300 workers from
England and Scotland.
In 1854, Mauá opened his
first railway, which was
designed and run by the
British. It linked Jundiaí,
in the heart of São
Paulo's coffee region,
with Santos on the
coast. Today, the Estação
da Luz serves only the
São Paulo city area.
Romanesque red-brick
arches and stately cast-
iron pillars support a
single vault that covers
four tracks and
platforms.
Sala São Paulo r
Praça Júlio Prestes 16. Map 1 B1 .
Tel (011) 3367 9500. Q Luz.
@ # 10am-6pm Mon-Fri.
8 1-4:30pm Mon-Fri, 2pm Sat.
^ www .salasaopaulo.art.br
Known for the finest acoustics
in Latin America, this concert
hall was inaugurated in 1997.
It is the city's premier classical
music venue and the home
of Brazil's top orchestra, the
Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado
de São Paulo (OSESP).
The orchestra's artistic
director John Neschling, who
studied conducting under
Hans Swarowsky and Leonard
Bernstein, is also a composer
of film music. He most
famously composed the sound
track for Kiss of the Spider
Woman (Brazil/USA, 1985).
The grand railway building,
the Estação Júlio Prestes, in
which the hall is housed, was
designed in 1938 by Brazilian
architect Cristiano Stockler.
Largely inspired by New York,
it contrasts strongly with the
English Estação da Luz.
São Bento with baby,
Museu Arte Sacra
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p374 and pp399-401
 
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