CAIXA Cultural São Paulo a museum and community center in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is one of CAIXA Cultural network's units, a complex of

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

s located in different capital cities in Brazil, maintained by

Caixa Econômica Federal The Caixa Econômica Federal (, ''Federal Savings Bank''), also referred to as Caixa or CEF, is a state-owned Brazilian financial services company headquartered in Brasília, Brazil. It is the fourth largest banking institution in Brazil, as ...

. In operation since 1989, the São Paulo unit is located in the Sé Building, the bank's former regional headquarters, inaugurated in 1939 by

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; ; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Due to his long and contr ...

. The building is an important example of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

architecture in São Paulo and is listed as a city heritage site. Caixa Cultural also runs a second center in São Paulo, the Vitrine da Paulista Gallery, on the first floor of Conjunto Nacional. The institution houses the Caixa Museum, with various objects and documents referring to the history of Caixa Econômica Federal and Brazil's financial system, as well as internal spaces with period ambiance and preserved original elements. It also houses different exhibition spaces, a reading room, a workshop room and an auditorium. It maintains a permanent program of cultural events, including dance shows, theater plays,

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...

s, video and cinema sessions, dramatic readings,

lecture A lecture (from ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history, background, theo ...

s and temporary

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

s, especially in the

Visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

' field.

The institution

The CAIXA Cultural network was created in 1980, under the initial name of "Conjunto Cultural da Caixa", aiming to promote, disseminate and support events, projects and artistic/cultural manifestations in the fields of visual arts, photography, theater, dance and literature. In addition, the network also aimed to preserve Caixa Econômica Federal's collection, specialized in the institution's memory and the history of Brazil's financial system. The first unit of Conjunto Cultural da Caixa was opened to the public still in 1980, in

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

. The São Paulo unit is the network's second oldest, inaugurated on August 29, 1989. It was installed in the Sé Building, a historical building located in Sé Square, listed by Conpresp, built in the second half of the 1930s to be the bank's state headquarters and in disuse since the late 1970s, when the headquarters were transferred to the Torre Sul Building, on

Paulista Avenue Paulista Avenue (Avenida Paulista in Portuguese language, Portuguese, ''Paulistas, Paulista'' being the demonym for those born in the state of State of São Paulo, São Paulo) is one of the most important avenues in São Paulo (city), São Paulo, ...

. The exhibition space was installed on the first floor, and the sixth floor was reserved for the Caixa Museum, with the institution's historical collection. The building still houses some of Caixa's administrative offices, in addition to the Sé bank branch. In March 2002, CAIXA Cultural inaugurated a second exhibition space in the city, inside Conjunto Nacional: the Vitrine da Paulista Gallery, a hall of approximately 300 m², distributed between the first floor and the mezzanine, with external glass walls facing Paulista Avenue, intended to house exhibitions and dance/theater performances. In the context of São Paulo's 450th anniversary celebrations, Caixa Econômica Federal (the owner of 90% of the real estate properties located in the so-called "Sé quadrilateral", area between Sé Square and Wenceslau Brás, Roberto Simonsen and Floriano Peixoto streets) financed a restoration project of nine buildings' façades in the block, as well as the renovation of the Sé Building and the restructuring and expansion of the cultural center, which now occupies the ground, first, second, and sixth floors of the building. The project was executed in partnership with São Paulo's City Hall. The cultural center was reinaugurated on January 24, 2004, with the presence of the then mayor,

Marta Suplicy Marta Teresa Smith de Vasconcellos Suplicy (; born 18 March 1945) is a Brazilian politician, sexologist and psychologist. She was Mayor of São Paulo from 2001 to 2004. She later served as the Brazilian Minister of Tourism between 14 March 2007 ...

, and Caixa's former president, Jorge Mattoso. Three days later, the inaugural exhibition "Referencial

Anita Malfatti Anita Catarina Malfatti (December 2, 1889 – November 6, 1964) is heralded as the first Brazilian artist to introduce European and American forms of Modernism to Brazil. Her solo exhibition in São Paulo, in 1917–1918, was controversial at t ...

" was opened. Since the reinauguration, CAIXA Cultural São Paulo has expanded its list of activities, integrating itself into the city's cultural circuit, mainly through major exhibitions dedicated to personalities such as

Carmen Miranda Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , ; ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor and Ceramic art, ceramist. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona ...

Curt Goetz Curt Goetz (; 17 November 1888 – 12 September 1960), born Kurt Walter Götz, was a Swiss German writer, actor and film director. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant German comedy writers of his time. With his wife Valerie von Martens, ...

and

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive ep ...

, among others. The institution has a permanent calendar of cultural events, with dance and theater shows, concerts, debates, dramatic readings, lectures, and workshops; and provides free

internet access Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...

to visitors. It also offers guided tours for schools; a course on the history of downtown São Paulo for

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s and

tour guide A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, and information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, rel ...

s; and activities for

senior citizens Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

The building

CAIXA Cultural São Paulo is housed in the Sé Building, in front of Sé Square, in the historic center of São Paulo. The building was designed to house the administrative offices of Caixa Econômica Federal in São Paulo after a series of financial operations carried out by the bank to acquire the properties surrounding the old 1907 headquarters, which was located in the old Travessa da Sé (now Wenceslau Brás Street). The project's elaboration began in 1933 and the construction in 1935, both under the responsibility of Albuquerque & Longo office. The inauguration took place on August 29, 1939, with the presence of then president Getúlio Vargas. Designed in Art Deco style, with 17,000 m² of built area, the building aims to express the idea of monumentality, in line with the spirit of the official architecture of the Estado Novo in the 1930s, when public buildings were idealized to reflect the country's strength and, at the same time, exalt Vargas' regime. Such monumentality is expressed, above all, by the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

and

ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

of black ''piracaia''

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

at the main entrance, and in the

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

coating on the internal walls of the first floor. The ceiling height is very high, reaching the second overstore. The hall has an octagonal shape and is preceded by a room adorned by a stained glass window with more than six meters high, executed by the

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

ese artist Henrique Zucca, portraying the riches of São Paulo: agriculture (especially

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

), industry and livestock. The vaulted ceiling has a skylight with stained glass windows. A great amount of imported material was used in the finishing: glass from England, marble from Italy and functional elements from the United States. The

paneling Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to ...

and other carpentry services were executed by

São Paulo School of Arts and Crafts The School of Arts and Crafts of São Paulo () (LAOSP) is a Brazilian private civil society, whose main activities are involved with technical education. The institution also acts on cultural and industrial production. Currently, the school of Ar ...

. Brushed steel columns and

hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

floors complete the ornamentation. The building is listed as a municipal heritage site (Conpresp). The Sé Building housed the headquarters of the Caixa Econômica in São Paulo until 1979, when the bank's offices were transferred to a building on Paulista Avenue. When the cultural center was installed in 1989 and reopened in 2004, the building underwent renovations and adaptations, aiming to provide the internal space with adequate technical conditions for the new activities, including

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

and lighting. Currently, the building houses, besides the cultural center, the Sé bank agency and some administrative areas of Caixa.

Collection and installations

Caixa Museum

Caixa Museum is located on the Sé Building's sixth floor and occupies a total area of 1,200 m². Its main activity is the preservation and promotion of Caixa Econômica Federal's memory and historical assets, also approaching issues such as the history of the national financial system and São Paulo's old downtown. The collection is composed of about 5,200 items, 3,900 of which are photographs, historical records and documents, and 1,300 objects of various functions and origins. The collection was amassed through the preservation of the Sé Building's original materials and elements, the collection of objects from other areas belonging to the Caixa and the donations from third parties. Among the museum's permanent exhibition, the following stand out: the Presidency Room, preserving the original furniture and organization; the Board Room, where you can find documents such as the first

time book A time book is a mostly outdated accounting record, that registered the work hours, hours worked by employees in a certain organization in a certain period. These records usually contain names of employees, type of work, hours worked, and sometime ...

, the first

savings Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...

passbook A passbook or bankbook is a paper book used to record bank or building society transactions on a deposit account. Traditionally, a passbook was used for accounts with a low transaction volume, such as savings accounts. A bank teller or postm ...

and the first

minute A minute is a unit of time defined as equal to 60 seconds. It is not a unit in the International System of Units (SI), but is accepted for use with SI. The SI symbol for minutes is min (without a dot). The prime symbol is also sometimes used i ...

, all from 1875 (the year Caixa started its activities in São Paulo); the presidents' Gallery, with oil-painted portraits of Caixa's presidents in São Paulo, between 1875 and 1970; the Medical Service Room, with several

surgical instrument A surgical instrument is a medical device for performing specific actions or carrying out desired effects during a surgery or operation, such as modifying biological tissue, or to provide access for viewing it. Over time, many different kinds of ...

s and equipment used in the first decades of the 20th century; The Memorial Room, with historical information, objects, several machines and photographic panels telling the history of Caixa Econômica, besides a scale model of the Sé Building; and the Housing Room, concerning the history of

funding Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...

for house acquisition. The museum also holds collections of

banknote A banknote or bank notealso called a bill (North American English) or simply a noteis a type of paper money that is made and distributed ("issued") by a bank of issue, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commerc ...

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

s, office machines, educational exhibits on savings, money and other aspects of the popular economy evolution and an exhibit on the history of

lotteries A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

in Brazil, from the

colonial period Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas *Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Coloni ...

to the present day. In the photographs' collection, a set of Hélio Becherini's works depicting the Sé Building and scenes from downtown São Paulo stand out.

Galleries and installations

In addition to the permanent exhibition galleries occupied by the museum, CAIXA Cultural São Paulo has a series of halls designed to house temporary exhibits, as well as areas reserved for educational and cultural activities, technical reserve, workshops and

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...

s: * Great Hall: the largest exhibition space in the complex is located on the first floor and has an area of 190 m². It has a ceiling height of more than thirteen meters,

Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...

columns, and natural lighting through a skylight. It is decorated with a large

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window executed by Henrique Zucca, depicting the workers and the riches of São Paulo. * Florisbela de Araújo Rodrigues Gallery: semi-open space of 81 m², located at the entrance of the Sé Building, dedicated to small exhibitions. The name is a tribute to the first client to open a savings account in São Paulo, in 1875. * Dom Pedro II Gallery: also located on the first floor, it has 142 m² of area and a ceiling height of 4.9 m. The name is a tribute to the second emperor of Brazil, who was also the founder of Caixa Econômica Federal. * Neuter Michelon Gallery: large hall located on the second floor, 146 m² of area. The space honors the first manager assigned to Caixa's cultural area in São Paulo. * Humberto Betetto Gallery: named after a former employee of the bank, it is located on the second floor. It is the second largest gallery in the complex, with an area of 180 m². * Auditorium: dedicated to house lectures and courses promoted by CAIXA Cultural. Located on the sixth floor, it has an area of 74 m² and capacity for 50 people. * Workshop Room: space destined to didactic activities. It has 149 m² of area and capacity for 40 people.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Multiple authors (2005). ''Bravo! Guia de Cultura'' (in Portuguese). Editora Abril. * * Mendonça, Rodrigo Melgaço Furtado de (2013). ''Cidadania cultural: apontamentos para um centro de cultura'' (Thesis). USP.

External links

CAIXA Cultural website

São Paulo School of Arts and Crafts website

Conpresp website
{{DEFAULTSORT:CAIXA Cultural Sao Paulo Art museums and galleries in Brazil Cultural centers in Brazil Museums in São Paulo Arts organisations based in Brazil Organizations established in 1989