Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo

The Pinacoteca de São Paulo (Portuguese for "pinacotheca (picture gallery) of the state of 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 by the Government of the State of São Paulo, the Pinacoteca 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. The Pinacoteca also develops and presents multidisciplinary public projects, in addition to hosting a comprehensive and inclusive educational program.

The original collection was formed from the transfer of 20 works from the Museu Paulista of the University of São Paulo, together with another 6 works acquired from important artists from the city such as Almeida Júnior, Pedro Alexandrino, Antônio Parreiras and Oscar Pereira da Silva, especially to form the new collection.

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, integrating itself into the international exhibition circuit, promoting diverse cultural events and maintaining an active bibliographic production. Pina, as it is also known, also manages the space called Pinacoteca Estação, a historic building that also houses the Memorial da Resistência de São Paulo, installed in the old DOPS building, in Bom Retiro, where it holds temporary exhibitions.

In 2023, the museum opened its third building, Pina Contemporânea, integrated into Parque da Luz. The space has a public square for artistic and cultural activities, two galleries for exhibiting large-format works, studios for educational activities, as well as a store, auditorium, observation deck and reception area. In the same year, the then known Library and Documentation and Research Center was provided for the Pina Contemporânea building. In 2024, it was renamed the Visual Arts Library.

The Pinacoteca houses 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. Other highlights include 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, and the Roger Wright Collection, received on loan in January 2015. On average, the museum hosts 18 temporary exhibitions per year.