Tomorrow is here....

Sometimes people are amazed when I say that most Brazilians are very worried about the environment and care about sustainability. Non-Brazilians instantly start remembering the cutting of the rain forest.

 In December 2015 President Dilma of Brazil opened the Museum of Tomorrow here in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). We all know something has to change about our behavior towards sustainability. The term "tomorrow" is far more urgent than the more abstract "future". A nice article about the museum was published in the Guardian.



It is one of the most fantastic buildings (by the architect Santiago Calatrava) I have ever seen. It is as amazing as the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the radiant white curves makes one think of Oscar Niemeyer's soft lined buildings . This is a stunning image; a primitive reptile or an elegant flying fish like structure....stepping out of the the Guanabara Bay into the city.

 

Going inside is like walking into the mouth of an alligator.

Inside the museum is beautiful, but nothing beats the outside.

This place made me really think of Niemeyer. (The Cathedral of Brasilia / the Edificio da Bienal in São Paulo) Brazilian structures.

Our blue planet hangs (or should hang....my fault) right in the middle.

Dancing veils on a glass plate.... fantastic.

Large panels with pictures of our Earth. (On Google there are also some good pictures "from above"...)

Also interesting pictures of people all over the world on columns inside a kind of cube. It was so busy I didn't even think of taking a picture myself.

Everywhere a lot of interactive information on consoles and then again information on huge pillars.

The only physical object in the museum is the "Churinga". A "tool" of Australian Aboriginals. It symbolizes the connection with the past and the future. The knowledge and values we want to share with following generations....

From within the museum you look over the basin with the star. On the horizon is the bridge across the Guanabara Bay to Niteroi



From this angle the museum is like a magic bird landing on its peninsula in front of the old Rio.

Majestic.

Playfull.... The "Feathers" or maybe "Wings" move on the energy from solar panels.

Puffed Star II ( 6 meters in diameter) by Frank Stella.

It was hot (alsmost 40 degrees), so it was nice sitting for some time in the shade.






Everything is still new and clean. You hardly see the difference between a reflection and the real thing.

As the Museum reflects its surroundings, at the same time it reflects on the surroundings. The originally very poor and dangerous neighborhood is becoming a hot spot for tourists. The original inhabitants have been "moved". Now is the time for entrepreneurs.... to change old buildings into trendy apartments.... Prices will explode. The city is where the work is.... affordable houses are far away. Public transport is a bottleneck. Busses bloc the narrow streets. The traffic jam is enormous.
Eventually when everything is going as planned and the (above ground) metro is finished (Olympic Games!!) then half the busses will disapear and the traffic will be able to run as it should.

Glass panels, bold structures and shiny surfaces....

The Museum Reina Sofia (contemporary art) in Madrid not only houses a great collection. One of the top pieces is the Guernica of Picasso (no photo's there....).... But it also is a fantastic building. The heart of the museum is an old hospital building by the Italian architect Sabatini (last quarter of the 18th century). In 2005 the building was enlarged.

The museum is located on a square. The first thing you notice are two huge glass elevator towers with each three glass elevators (yes... this is only one).

It is fun to be in one of the towers and take pictures of the other.

Or of the square down below.

Later, having lunch on the other side of the square I was watching the elevators. They were behaving like a giant fruit machine.... Sometimes three in a row.

Bingo......

The most fantastic part was the roof pavilion.  Glass panels, bold structures and shiny surfaces. 

Fantastic reflections!

Connecting the old and the new.

Bold structures and bold lettering.

A good place to rest the feet for some time before going back inside to see even more great paintings.

The MASP on the Avenida Paulista

To find the MASP you walk up the Avenida Paulista in São Paulo (Brazil). After some time - looking at the luxurious buildings with their reflecting fronts - you see a building on solid red legs. Standing in the water. It made me think of a huge reptile, without head or tail. A large open space under it's belly. Anything can happen there....  You have reached the Museo de Arte de São Paulo: The MASP.

It rains a lot in São Paulo….. So when we were there….. Go in the morning. The mornings are much better to see the outside of things. In the evening it will rain.  

The museum was founded in October 1947 by Pietro Maria Bardi together with the famous journalist Francisco de Assis Chateaubriand Bandeira de Melo, better known as Assis Chateaubriand or short; Chatô. In Europe. after the war, art was sold at relatively low prices because people needed money.

My friend Fernando Morais (the biographer of Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's life) wrote a book about this Chatô - http://www.fernandomorais.com.br/ (Excuses for the fact that some of the text's are only in Portuguese.- Please Brazilians add to the Wikipedia in English!) 

The interesting building that houses the MASP was designed by the wife of Pietro Maria Bardi, the architect Lina Bo Bardi. 

Up you go with the elevator to the entrance. How surprising this space with murals and red stairs. You are allowed to take pictures there. 

It is a sort of landscape with red components, totally different from the grey outside. Like a sculpture in red with some black accents and colorful murals. 

Even the space for children is part of this landscape. 

The 3rd floor where the exhibitions are held is different; more classic. No pictures there… It’s a pity because the collection is excellent. 

While we were there, there were three exhibitions: The most important – at least to my taste – was the exhibition of portraits I thought the exhibited collection was marvellous; varied and entertaining. There were works of: Renoir, Van Gogh, Modigliani, Rivera, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Frans Hals, Goya and Rembrandt.

There was another exhibition “Deus e Madonnas” Gods and Madonnas. A real good subject for Brazil. With works of masters of the 14th till the 19th century.

Finally there was the “Romatism: The art of enthousiasm”. With works of Bosch, El Greco, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Dalí, León Ferrari, Tomie Ohtake others

Brazilians in the last century looked very much to Europe for “Art”. This museum is mainly about the European art. Accept this and you will enjoy very much being at the MASP. 

More relevant links:
The Masp and Baldi
The building 1
The building 2
TV-Coop about MASP

A yuppie theme park: Puerto Madero

Thinking it would be nice to go to a part of Buenos Aires that was completely unknown to us, we decided to go to Puerto Madero. Our hotel was not far. We only needed to cross some busy avenues. We were not prepared for the surprise. There was Puerto Madero, but it was as if we were arriving in the Docklands in London.

It was “cool”. New and trendy old mixed together to a yuppie paradise. 

The old cranes and old ships are like artefacts on a set. Walking along the docks you have no idea even of being in Latin America. The cafes and restaurants play rock, beat and other western music. 

The one thing that comes near to tango is the bridge of the women - the puente de la Mujer. Companies have European / North American names. Prices are adjusted to the level of European cities.  

Sure, the weather is much better than in London. The pieces of meat on the menu are huge. You get them with a lot of potatoes… the green is separate. The wine is excellent and the glasses are much larger then in Europe.

Everything is smooth. I found just one derelict building. I suppose in a few years it will also be transformed into something beautiful and expensive.

I loved to be there; just watching the scenery. The blue sky, the colors, the feeling of being safe. At the same time it feels artificial, like being in some theme park. It is nice for a change to be “back” for a while, but after some time I miss the noisy, busy and lively atmosphere of Latin America.