Museum of Art, Sao Paulo- gallery space with Cezanne: Lina Bo Bardi 1968
In Brazil last month I re-visited MASP (the Museum of Art of Sao Paulo) and was delighted to see that the permanent collection of paintings has been re-hung to restore the original intentions of its architect, Lina Bo Bardi. The collection- probably the richest in Latin America, with paintings by many European masters including Botticelli and Titian, Van Gogh and Picasso, as well as Brazilian artists- is presented in a unique way. The vast open space of the top floor of the museum is filled, not with panels or walls, but with a forest of paintings that appear to float, thanks to the clear panels, set in concrete bases, that hold each work. The visitor wanders through them, with no set order or didactic direction, so each can be seen as an object in its own right. There's a particular concentration that becomes possible, and odd, personal connections can be made while meandering through the gallery.
Gallery space with Botticelli on left, Museum of Art, Sao Paulo It's very much a modernist idea- presenting the painting as a painting, a material object, irrespective of what it may represent. But in a way typical of Bo Bardi, it's also playful, and as well as the high seriousness which may befit great works of art, seeing the curious conjunction of visitor and artwork is also part of the rich experience that she has generated. All credit to the Museum for re-creating this singular vision.
Museum of Art Sao Paulo, showing construction of 'easels'
Museum of Art, Sao Paulo: portrait by Portinari 1936