MASP - São Paulo Museum of Art

São Paulo Museum of Art or Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand - MASP

By Mark Fitzgerald

Sao Paulo Museum of Art

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand or MASP for short is conveniently located on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo, the financial and cultural center of the city.  The museum is a main bus stop as well as a stop for the subway.  The museum is two stories above ground and two stories below with the ground level being an open air plaza.  It gives the effect of the building looking like it is suspended above ground.

The first level up is dedicated to Brazilian modern art.  While

Works in the museum including Monet's Japanese Garden Bridge 

there is a great deal of interesting pieces there I found the stories about the artists and how they were tied to Brazil equally interesting.  It shows the melting pot heritage of Brazil and the cultural growth of Sao Paulo.

Chinese Terracotta warrior

The top level was a collection masters throughout the world.  At the time of our visit it was designed to show portraits through the ages and how they have changed.  Starting with the realism of Rembrandt to progressed through the ages to the abstract of Van Gogh.  Mixed throughout are statues such a Rodin and 2 terracotta warriors.   Clearly enough variety to attract and educate all types of families.

The underground floors contain additional Brazilian art, a library, gift shop, classroom, snack bar and a restaurant.  The restaurant is a buffet which is worth fighting the crowds.  A wide variety of salad, Brazilian main courses and about 10 different desserts to choose from.  The bathrooms are located next to the elevators adjacent to the information desk.

Entrance to the museum is free on Tuesdays and Friday nights after 5.  Children are half price.

Take a look at the following video to get a good idea of what the museum has to offer.  It is in Portuguese but it will give you a sense of the museum even if you don't speak the language.  

The Floor Plan of the MASP:

A map of the Sao Paulo Museum of Art:

MASP's webite is:

http://masp.art.br/

Going on a family vacation builds memories, provides life changing experiences and helps teach about the world we live in. Take time to explore, enjoy and have fun. If the Museum of Art sounded interesting, you may also like the Iguazu Falls. You can also look at our entire list of Brazilian Attractions.

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