Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo

The Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo is a visual arts museum focused on Brazilian art from the 19th century to the present day, in dialogue with various cultures from around the world. Founded in 1905, it is the oldest art museum in the city and has three buildings: Pinacoteca Luz, Pinacoteca Estação, and Pinacoteca Contemporânea. The museum holds exhibitions of its renowned collection of Brazilian art and temporary exhibitions of national and international artists.

Don't miss

• One of the largest and most representative collections of Brazilian art, with more than twelve thousand pieces covering mostly the history of Brazilian painting from the 19th and 20th centuries.
• The Brasiliana Collection, made up of works by foreign artists working in Brazil or inspired by the country's iconography.
• The Nemirovsky Collection, with an impressive set of masterpieces of Brazilian modernism.
• The Roger Wright Collection, received on loan in January 2015.
• The Pinacoteca Luz building, designed by Ramos de Azevedo and Domiciano Rossi, with a monumental style in strong harmony with Italian eclecticism, featuring two internal courtyards and a never-completed dome.
• The Pina Contemporânea building, opened in 2023, integrated into Parque da Luz, with a public square, two galleries for large-format works, studios, a store, auditorium, and observation deck.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo

Cheapest way inPinacoteca Ambrosiana and da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus admission in Milan4.6★ · 177 travelers1-2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$22 per personSee dates →Best full daySão Paulo’s Full Day City Tour: Main City Sights – (Shared Group)4.9★ · 1,845 travelers~7 hoursFree cancellationFrom$79 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleWalking Tour São Paulo Center: Historical Process Of The Largest City in Brazil5★ · 24 travelers3-4 hoursFree cancellationFrom$113 per personSee dates →

Know before you go

• The museum has three buildings: Pinacoteca Luz, Pinacoteca Estação, and Pinacoteca Contemporânea.
• On average, the museum hosts 18 temporary exhibitions per year.
• The museum has a Visual Arts Library, renamed in 2024, located in the Pina Contemporânea building.

A bit of history

The origins of the Pinacoteca date back to the creation of the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios de São Paulo in 1873, amid profound social, political, and economic changes in São Paulo in the second half of the 19th century. The original collection was formed from the transfer of 20 works from the Museu Paulista, together with another 6 works acquired from important artists. After a renovation led by Paulo Mendes da Rocha in the 1990s, the museum established itself as one of the most dynamic cultural institutions in the country.