Instituto Moreira Salles

São Paulo

LoginSave

A 2017 artistic addition to Av Paulista, this striking, R$150 million, vertical museum and cultural center is a real treat for photography fans – three floors of galleries are home to oft-changing exhibitions from some of the world's most renowned shutterbugs.

The building itself, with its plexi-like see-through facade, took home an award for best architecture work in São Paulo from the Paulista Association of Art Critics. It also houses an art cinema, viewing terrace and the excellent new Balaio IMS.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Edifício Copan

    Edifício Copan

    1.27 MILES

    Copan was designed by late modernist master Oscar Niemeyer. The building, with its serpentine facade and narrow brises soleil (permanent sunshades), is…

  • Mercado Municipal

    Mercado Municipal

    2.3 MILES

    This covered market is a belle epoque confection of stained glass and a series of vast domes. Inside, a fabulous urban market specializes in all things…

  • Museu de Arte de São Paulo

    Museu de Arte de São Paulo

    0.51 MILES

    Sampa’s pride, this museum possesses Latin America’s most comprehensive collection of Western art. Hovering above a concrete plaza that turns into an…

  • Mosteiro São Bento

    Mosteiro São Bento

    1.98 MILES

    Among the city’s oldest and most important churches, São Bento dates to 1598, though its neo-Gothic facade dates only to the early 20th century. Step…

  • Farol Santander

    Farol Santander

    1.91 MILES

    For one of Sampa’s best panoramas, head to the top of this 161m-high skyscraper, Brazil’s version of the Empire State Building – completed in 1939 and…

  • Pina_Luz

    Pina_Luz

    2.33 MILES

    This elegant neoclassical museum, formerly known as Pinacoteca do Estado but modernly rebranded 'Pina_Luz' (with the underline!) in 2017, houses an…

  • Museu Xingu

    Museu Xingu

    0.76 MILES

    Relatively unknown and blissfully uncrowded, the unassuming Casa Amarela is part NGO handicraft shop, part two-table romantic cafe and part tiny Museu…

  • Estação da Luz

    Estação da Luz

    2.23 MILES

    Across the street from the Parque da Luz sits one of São Paulo's most stunning structures, a classic late-Victorian train station constructed with…

View more attractions

Nearby São Paulo attractions

1. Museu de Arte de São Paulo

0.51 MILES

Sampa’s pride, this museum possesses Latin America’s most comprehensive collection of Western art. Hovering above a concrete plaza that turns into an…

2. Parque Siqueira Campos

0.52 MILES

Just off Paulista across from the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) lies Parque Siqueira Campos, a beautifully designed and maintained park that re…

3. Mirante 9 de Julho

0.54 MILES

Behind MASP, this formerly abandoned architectural bridge, that sat dormant for 60 years across one of the city's most important avenues, was reopened in…

4. Museu do Futebol

0.55 MILES

Tucked under the bleachers of colorfully art deco Pacaembu Stadium, this fantastic museum is devoted to Brazil’s greatest passion – football (soccer). Its…

5. Rua Oscar Freire

0.65 MILES

Take a stroll down Brazil's 'Rodeo Drive', a leafy, tree-lined thoroughfare brimming with cafes, concept stores and flagship boutiques, top-end…

6. Museu Xingu

0.76 MILES

Relatively unknown and blissfully uncrowded, the unassuming Casa Amarela is part NGO handicraft shop, part two-table romantic cafe and part tiny Museu…

7. Edifício Copan

1.27 MILES

Copan was designed by late modernist master Oscar Niemeyer. The building, with its serpentine facade and narrow brises soleil (permanent sunshades), is…

8. Edifício Itália

1.38 MILES

With 46 stories, this skyscraper just south of the Praça da República is the tallest in the city center. You have three options to see the view: weekdays…