Discover 5 houses that have become museums in São Paulo

There is nothing more intimate than visiting someone's home. Especially when it comes to artists, architects and public figures who have passed away but left their mark on the residence where they lived. This is the case of Lina Bo Bardi , Ema Klabin , Lasar Segall , Oscar Americano and Gregori Warchavchik , personalities whose stories were immortalized by transforming their homes into museums . Below, find out where each of them is located in the city of São Paulo.

1. Glass House

It was in this icon of modern Brazilian architecture that architect Lina Bo Bardi lived for more than 40 years with her husband, journalist Pietro Bo Bardi. Opened in 1951, the Glass House was Lina Bo Bardi's first built project , and became a venue for meetings of Brazilian artists, architects and intellectuals. After the Bardis' death, the architect's residence was transformed into an institute that houses the historical legacy of Lina and Pietro . Located in the Morumbi neighborhood, the museum is open to the public, with the aim of preserving and disseminating the couple's work.

2. Ema Klabin House Museum

Designed in the 1950s by Alfredo Ernesto Becker, the current Ema Klabin House Museum was built in Jardim Europa to house the works collected by this famous Brazilian collector. In 1997, three years after Ema Klabin's death, the collection began to be catalogued , and the collection is displayed in the museum itself and loaned to other exhibitions in Brazil and Europe. The Ema Klabin House Museum hosts exhibitions, shows, lectures, courses and workshops . Currently on display is the exhibition Pre-Columbian America: Body and Territory , which displays more than 90 rare archaeological pieces from civilizations that inhabited the Americas before the arrival of Europeans.

3. Lasar Segall Museum

The place, which is now a museum in Vila Mariana, was the studio and residence of the painter, sculptor and engraver Lasar Segall since 1932. Designed by one of the precursors of modern architecture in Brazil, Gregori Warchavchik , the house includes furniture that was largely made by Segall himself.

In 1967, Lasar Segall's children transformed the historic residence into a museum. The space is linked to the Ministry of Culture and not only preserves the work of its patron, but also offers exhibitions, educational visits, courses and workshops in the areas of engraving, cinema and a library specializing in the performing arts and photography.

4. Maria Luisa and Oscar Americano Foundation

In 1974, two years after the death of Maria Luisa Ferraz Americano, Oscar Americano donated to the city of São Paulo the house where the couple of collectors lived with their children for 20 years. In addition to a rich collection of works of art , the space, designed by architect Oswaldo Arthur Bratke in 1950, has a large green area in the Morumbi neighborhood. The museum offers a wide range of furniture from colonial Brazil to works by 20th century masters such as Victor Brecheret, Lasar Segall, Alberto da Veiga Guignard, Di Cavalcanti and Cândido Portinari. In addition, the museum boasts an immense biodiversity, with plants and trees of various types, from Brazilwood to coffee trees.

5. Modernist House

The Modernist House on Santa Cruz Street is considered the first work of modern architecture built in Brazil . Dating back to 1927 and designed by Ukrainian architect Gregori Warchavchik , the house was designed to be the architect's own residence, along with his wife Mina Klabin. The construction of the space, which took place in the context of the Modern Art Week, caused a stir in public opinion and its aesthetic proposal led to the publication of articles in newspapers. In 1984, the Casa Modernista was declared a heritage site by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage. For more than 20 years, until 2008, the City of São Paulo became the property's concessionaire, and today the space hosts exhibitions and offers educational tours.