The Museu Paulista of the University of São Paulo is a Brazilian history museum located near where Emperor Pedro Iproclaimed the Brazilian independence on the banks of Ipiranga brook in the Southeast region of the city ofSão Paulo, then the "Caminho do Mar," or road to the seashore. It contains a huge collection of furniture, documents and historically relevant artwork, especially relating to the Brazilian Empire era. The most famous work of art in the collection is the 1888 painting Independência ou Morte by Pedro Américo. A few months after the Brazilian Declaration of Independence, people started to suggest a monument on the site where the declaration took place, although they were not sure about what sort of memorial construction to build. In 1884, Italian architect Tommaso Gaudenzio Bezzi, who was hired to develop the project, chose to build an eclectic-styled construction similar to the French Palace of Versailles with impressive and perfectly manicured gardens and fountain. The museum closed inAugust 2013 for extensive restoration and modernisation; it is due to re-open in 2022.
Design and construction
In 1884, Italian architect Tommaso Gaudenzio Bezzi was chosen to design a monumental building to be built at the place where Brazilian Independence would have been proclaimed. The long palace was inspired by a Renaissance palace and is considered an example of Eclectic architecture. The museum was opened to the public on September 7, 1895, six years after the Proclamation of the Republic. In 1909, Belgian landscape designerArsenio Puttermans projected the gardens around the main building, which were later redesigned by landscape designer Reinaldo Dierberger in the 1920s. A reorganization of the collection was instituted in 1922 by Afonso d'Escragnolle Taunay at the time of the Centenary of Independence of Brazil, with a special emphasis on the history of the state of São Paulo. Paintings and sculptures related to the history of Brazil were installed in the lobby, grand staircase and Great Hall. A satellite museum, the Republican Museum "Itu Convention" opened on April 18, 1923 in Itu, a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo. The museum is located in the family home of Almeida Prado where the Republican Party of São Paulo was founded in 1873. The Itu museum remains under the administration of the Paulista Museum and has a collection that focuses on the history of Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Collections
The Museu Paulista has a large collection of objects, furniture, maps, and works of art with historical relevance, especially those that have some relationship with the Independence of Brazil and the corresponding historical period. One of the most well-known works in his collection is the painting, painted by the artist Pedro Américo in 1888. The museum has significant collection of photographs, including those by Militão Augusto de Azevedo, Guilherme Gaensly, and Werner Haberkorn. The museum has a facsimile of one of the oldest maps of Brazil, the Map of Céspedes Xeria, produced in 1628. In addition to exhibitions, the activities of the Ipiranga Museum include educational programs, courses, and scientific research. The collection of the museum continues to expand via donations or acquisitions. An important part of the activities of the museum involves physical conservation, study, and documentation of the collection.
