Casa de Portinari Museum’s artistic collection is mainly composed of works done by the artist in mural paintings on the house walls in the fresco and tempera techniques. The theme is predominantly sacred, with the exception of the artist’s early experiences in this type of art. The collection also includes a set of drawings, an expressive and significant language in Candido Portinari’s production present in all moments of his career.
The museum also keeps the family’s personal-use objects, furniture and utensils and some rooms continue with their original functions, while others were adapted to be used as exhibition rooms.
Known for his large murals and canvases, Portinari was also a great portraitist. He would usually design and conduct studies of his own work. The complete collection of his work includes more than 2,800 drawings using different materials: charcoal, pen and ink, brush and ink, graphite, colored pencils, crayon, gouache and watercolor, on different types of paper. Some of these paintings are displayed in this room, including the portrait of Rio de Janeiro socialite Vera Velloso.
Saint Anthony's Church
Saint Anthony in the church’s altar
Across the street from the Casa de Portinari Museum, the Candido Portinari Square is home to Saint Anthony’s Church, for which Portinari made an oil painting of the patron saint to keep a promise for the recovery of his son, João Candido. The painting was donated to the local church on the Easter Sunday of 1942, and the donation term expressed the artist’s desire for it never to leave the chapel. The cultural institution currently has a cooperation agreement with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ribeirão Preto for preservation of the painting.
The Gardens
The gardens preserve elements from the time the family lived in the house. The garden beds spelling DIO (God in Italian) were designed by Portinari, and rosebushes were carefully tended by Mrs. Domingas (the artist’s mother).
Nonna's Chapel
In 1940, Candido Portinari ordered the construction of a chapel next to his grandmother Pelegrina’s house, who due to age and health problems could not go to the church to pray.
On the walls are the grandmother’s favorite saints, portrayed by the artist with the face of friends and relatives. At the beginning of 1941, he painted murals in tempera in Nonna’s chapel. This technique is a dry painting with pigments, water and glue. Family members and friends were role models to represent Grandma’s favorite saints.
For a time, there was mass in this chapel. The First Mass, celebrated by Father Francisco Sino, was on March 1, 1941.
Narratives of a lifetime
In this room, visitors will listen to a text by Portinary narrated by actor Lima Duarte. The track tells about the memories of life in the city, as well as the longing and the love the artist had for Brodowski. A map on the floor helps visitors locate the places mentioned in the audio track.
The artist's room
The artist’s room still keeps furniture, clothes, shoes, suitcases and objects of personal use. A series of photos helps tell the story of Portinari.
The sister's room
Needlework and point lace were common back when the family lived in the house. Some of the items made by the residents are displayed in this room along with the original furniture.
The Hall
The Portinari Family Tree provides the public with information on other members of this family of Italian immigrants.
The restrooms
Three rooms were built for this purpose. Curious details on the construction and the taste of the residents may be observed in improvised lighting and ventilation solutions in one of the rooms, the amplitude and comfort in the other, and small decorative touches using stencils.
The atelier
In the atelier, work instruments such as paints, brushes, canvases and easels share the room with the fresco mural painting “Flight into Egypt”.
The building
Resulting from successive renovations and expansions coordinated by Candido Portinari, the house had different configurations while serving as a family residence. In this room, a digital model shows the modifications in the property over time.
Candido Portinari, the painter
From birth to his great achievements, the life of Portinari is unveiled to the public through multimedia outlets. The most complete timeline presented so far contains information, documents, photos, audio tracks and articles on the artist’s life and career.
The house as a theme
The house, the city and childhood memories were recurrent themes in Portinari’s art. Using touch-screens, the public may uncover the details and further explore the artist’s work.
The kitchen
Just like for most families of Italian ancestry, the kitchen was the heart of the house, where family members would gather to dine and chat by the wood oven, mingling over coffee and nibbles. It is still equipped with original furniture and appliances, including the chairs straw-woven by Portinari’s father, Mr. Batista.
The main room
The large main room offers visitors an overall glimpse of what can be found in the different areas of the house built in the early 19th century. With mural paintings created by Portinari and colleagues, the house served as basis for the first experiments of the artist in this genre. The area also keeps furniture from that time, including a dining table, chairs, dinnerware and others.
The frescos room
In this space, visitors can learn more about mural-painting techniques, especially fresco, and the work hours dedicated by the artist to the mural paintings in the house.
The Saint George room
Upon entering Casa de Portinari, in the first hall, we find a tempera painted-mural, Saint George and the Dragon, as well as the study of the piece and the poem with the same title dated 1958. In the same space, there is also accessibility material where a tactile mockup presents the rooms and architectural details of the property to blind or visually impaired visitors.
