Sao Paulo's Top Art Galleries

São Paulo, the economic and cultural capital of Brazil, is where art is at. Not only can you find galleries featuring Brazilian legends, such as Tunga and Lygia Clark but you can also find contemporary artists and newcomers to the Brazilian and international art scene. Here are a few galleries you will not want to miss while visiting São Paulo.

1. Galeria Leme

Building, Museum

Opened since 2004, Galeria Leme, one of the most beautiful galleries in São Paulo, occupying a building in Butantã designed by Pritzker Prize winner architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Representing both Brazilian and foreign artists, Galeria Leme displays photography, paintings, installations, sculpture and video. Among the artists featured at the gallery is Britain’s Richard Galpin, who has exhibited at the British Museum in London.

2. Millan Galeria

Art Gallery

Created by one of the icons of the Brazilian contemporary art market, André Millan, the Millan Galeria represents artists such as sculptor Tunga and fashion photographer Bob Wolfenson. In 2016 the gallery opened an annex with huge sliding doors. When these are opened they reveal the gallery to passersby, who often after taking a glimpse, can’t resist visiting the gallery.

Fortes, D’Aloia & Gabriel

One of the most well established Brazilian galleries in the international circuit, Fortes Vilaça changed its name in November of 2016 to Fortes, D’Aloia & Gabriel. The gallery however, continues to represent a wide array of well-known artists both from the national and international circuit, such as Adriana Varejão, graffiti artists Otávio and Gustavo Pandolfo, better known as Os Gemeos, and Robert Mappelthorpe. The gallery hosts most of its exhibitions in its large warehouse-like gallery in the Barra Funda neighborhood, leaving the gallery located in Vila Madalena for temporary special exhibits.

Address 1: Rua Fradique Coutinho 1500, Vila Madalena, São Paulo, Brazil +55 11 3032 7066

Address 2: Rua James Holland 71, Barra Funda, São Paulo, Brazil +55 11 3392 3942

3. Galeria Virgílio

Cinema

Galeria Virgilio is one of the most traditional galleries in São Paulo. Opened by Izabel Pinheiro in 2002 the gallery focuses and promotes the production of contemporary young artists and artists who have consolidated their presence in the Brazilian art scene since the 1980s. In 2012 the gallery teamed up with cultural center b_arco seeking synergy with professionals from the fields of cinema, photography, philosophy, literature and performing arts. Both the gallery and the cultural center are located in the same address, which results in an interesting exchange of ideas from artists from several fields.