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A permanent team works to ensure quality in the execution of projects at all stages and the development of sustainable actions, keeping up with the challenges of our time. Guided tours of the exhibitions, formation sessions for teachers, in-person and distance learning courses, lectures and seminars are some of the activities developed in the educational sphere, one of the institution's pillars, along with encouraging artistic creation and democratising access to art.

Founded on May 8, 1962 by the businessman Ciccillo Matarazzo, Fundação Bienal de São Paulo is a private, non-profit institution with no political or religious affiliations. It also houses the Arquivo Histórico Wanda Svevo, a historical archive on modern and contemporary art that sets a standard in Latin America.

  • © Dulce Carneiro

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Ciccillo Matarazzo

Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho was born in São Paulo in 1898. The nephew of Count Francisco Matarazzo, an Italian who built one of the largest industrial complexes in Brazil, he became the sole owner of Metalúrgica Matarazzo-Metalma in the 1930s. He married Yolanda Penteado in 1947. He took part in initiatives such as the Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia (TBC), the Companhia Cinematográfica Vera Cruz, and the Cinemateca Brasileira. He was involved in the construction of Ibirapuera Park and started the Brazil representations at the Venice Biennales. His great cultural project – the MAM-SP – was inaugurated in 1949. He created the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo in 1962, for which he remained responsible until 1975, two years before his death on April 16th, 1977.

Designed by Oscar Niemeyer between 1951 and 1954, and inaugurated during the celebrations of the IV Centennial of the city of São Paulo, the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion is listed as historical heritage by Brazilian official organizations (on the municipal, state and federal levels). The first Bienal to be held in the building was the 4th edition (1957). Before that, the event was held in a temporary pavilion located on the Trianon Esplanade, in the Paulista Avenue area, and also in the Palácio dos Estados (currently the Pavilhão das Culturas Brasileiras) and the Palácio das Nações (currently the Museu Afro Brasil). These buildings, as well as the MAC-USP, the MAM-SP, the Lucas Nogueira Garcez Pavilion (Oca), the marquee and the Ibirapuera Auditorium, are part of the architectural complex designed by Oscar Niemeyer for Ibirapuera Park.

  • Facade of the Bienal Pavilion, seen from Av. Pedro Alvares Cabral. © Pedro Ivo Trasferetti / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

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  • WHAT WE DO
  • COMMITMENT TO THE VISUAL ARTS
  • FORMATION ACTIONS
  • PRESERVATION OF MEMORY
  • DIALOGUE WITH FIELDS OF THOUGHT AND KNOWLEDGE
  • PROMOTING BRAZILIAN ART
  • PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATION OF CONTENT
  • AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE
  • INVESTMENT IN THE CREATIVE ECONOMY

Bienal to Bienal

Each Bienal attracts the attention of the whole world, generates economic activity and reaffirms the missions that have guided it since its inception: commitment to the visual arts, repertoire formation and development of Brazil's cultural scene. The Bienal is free to the public during its three-month duration. In parallel with the exhibition, an extensive public program includes debates, seminars, performances and presentations aimed at a variety of audiences. Much more than an art exhibition, the Bienal is a catalyst of meetings and events, which also translates into economic impact — the exhibition generates approximately R$300 million in business for the city of São Paulo alone, being the sixth largest event of its calendar by number of visitors.

Beyond the horizon

Fundação Bienal activities have an impact that extends well beyond the city and the nation. In the year following each Bienal de São Paulo, selections from the exhibition travel to different cities in Brazil and abroad thanks to partnerships established with museums, cultural institutions and public and private organizations in different regions in a traveling show. Presented to a variety of audiences, the exhibition takes on new meanings and perspectives, helping to fuel cultural debate.

The actions of Fundação Bienal de São Paulo extend beyond the city and the country. In the year following each Bienal, exhibitions are presented in different cities in Brazil and abroad through the traveling exhibitions program, developed through partnerships with museums, cultural institutions, and public and private agencies in different regions. Presented to a variety of audiences, the exhibition acquires new meanings and perspectives, contributing to foster cultural debate.

It is also the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo's task to devise and produce Brazil's representations at the Venice Biennales of art and architecture, in an arrangement between the institution and the departments responsible for Foreign Affairs and Culture within the Federal Government. The mission of choosing the curators of the exhibitions at the event has been granted to the institution by the Brazilian government for decades in recognition of its historical importance and prominent role within the contemporary cultural agenda.


Traveling exhibitions

Starting in 2011, the traveling exhibitions program takes excerpts from the Bienal de São Paulo to different cities in Brazil and around the world. The itinerancies of the 29th Bienal (2011), 30th Bienal (2013), 31st Bienal (2015), 32nd Bienal (2017), 33rd Bienal (2019) and 34th Bienal (2022) have reached a combined audience of over 1.8 million visitors. Since the beginning of the program, 29 cities in Brazil and five abroad have hosted selections of works present in the São Paulo show. In the itinerancies of the 34th Bienal (2021), over 165,000 people visited the exhibitions in ten cities.

  • Works of Jaider Esbell during the traveling exhibition of the 34th Bienal de São Paulo at LUMA Arles, France © Victor & Simon / Joana Luz

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  • Work of Jonathas de Andrade at the 59. Biennale Arte © Riccardo Tosetto / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo

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Venice Biennale

The prerogative of the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo to officially represent Brazil at the Venice Biennale is the result of a partnership with the Federal Government, in recognition of the Foundation's importance for the cultural dissemination of Brazil abroad. Brazil's participation in the Art and Architecture Venice Biennales takes place in the Brazil Pavilion, built in 1964 and based on a design by Henrique Mindlin and maintained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fundação Bienal de São Paulo is responsible for selecting the curator and producing the exhibitions.

Bienal Archive

Conceived in 1954 by Wanda Svevo, then General Secretary of the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (MAM-SP), to support the Bienal, the Bienal Archive became official in 1955. It is one of the most important centers of documentation of 20th century artistic production and every year welcomes hundreds of researchers from all over the world. In 1993, it was declared a cultural asset of historical interest by Condephaat.

Meet our team

Founder

Francisco Matarazzo Sobrinho · 1898 –1977 chairman emeritus

Governing board

Eduardo Saron · president
Ana Helena Godoy Pereira de Almeida Pires · vice president

Lifetime Members

Adolpho Leirner
Beno Suchodolski
Carlos Francisco Bandeira Lins
Cesar Giobbi
Elizabeth Machado
Jens Olesen
Julio Landmann
Marcos Arbaitman
Maria Ignez Corrêa da Costa Barbosa
Pedro Aranha Corrêa do Lago
Pedro Paulo de Sena Madureira
Roberto Muylaert
Rubens José Mattos Cunha Lima

Members

Adrienne Senna Jobim
Alberto Emmanuel Whitaker
Alfredo Egydio Setubal
Ana Helena Godoy Pereira de Almeida Pires
Angelo Andrea Matarazzo
Beatriz Yunes Guarita
Camila Appel
Carlos Alberto Frederico
Carlos Augusto Calil
Carlos Jereissati
Claudio Thomaz Lobo Sonder
Daniela Montingelli Villela
Eduardo Saron
Fábio Magalhães
Felippe Crescenti
Flavia Buarque de Almeida
Flávia Cipovicci Berenguer
Flavia Regina de Souza Oliveira
Flávio Moura
Francisco Alambert
Gustavo Ioschpe
Heitor Martins
Helio Seibel
Isay Weinfeld
Jackson Schneider
Joaquim de Arruda Falcão Neto
José Olympio da Veiga Pereira 
Kelly de Amorim
Ligia Fonseca Ferreira
Lucio Gomes Machado
Luis Terepins
Maguy Etlin (on leave)
Manoela Queiroz Bacelar
Marcelo Mattos Araujo 
Miguel Wady Chaia
Neide Helena de Moraes
Nina da Hora
Octavio de Barros
Rodrigo Bresser Pereira
Ronaldo Cezar Coelho
Rosiane Pecora
Sérgio Spinelli Silva Jr.
Susana Leirner Steinbruch
Tito Enrique da Silva Neto
Victor Pardini

Audit Board

Edna Sousa de Holanda
Flávio Moura
Octavio Manoel Rodrigues de Barros

International Advisory Board

Maguy Etlin · president
Frances Reynolds · vice-president
Andrea de Botton Dreesmann & Quinten Dreesmann
Barbara Sobel
Catherine Petitgas
Mélanie Berghmans
Miwa Taguchi-Sugiyama
Pamela J. Joyner
Paula Macedo Weiss & Daniel Weiss
Sandra Hegedüs

Honorary Board

Alex Periscinoto
Heitor Martins
Jorge Eduardo Stockler
Julio Landmann
Luis Terepins
Luiz Diederichsen Villares
Manoel Francisco Pires da Costa
Roberto Muylaert
José Olympio da Veiga Pereira 

Board of Directors

Andrea Pinheiro · president
Maguy Etlin · first vice-president
Luiz Lara · second vice-president
Ana Paula Martinez
Francisco Pinheiro Guimarães
Maria Rita Drummond
Ricardo Diniz
Roberto Otero
Solange Sobral

Fundação Bienal believes in the balance of power and in the control and turnover of institutional bodies, values that are consistent with the main underpinnings of contemporary governance.

Its foundational structure is composed of an Executive Board, with sixty members from a wide range of backgrounds (businessmen, cultural managers and intellectuals), and a Board of Directors, consisting of a President and nine executives, which is elected every two years. The members of the Executive Board and the Board of Directors compose support and advisory bodies for the Fundação, which are organized into committees and complemented by an International Advisory Board, whose members are renowned professionals on the international art circuit.

Founding bodies

Governing board

Eduardo Saron · president
Ana Helena Godoy Pereira de Almeida Pires · vice president

Lifetime members

Adolpho Leirner
Beno Suchodolski
Carlos Francisco Bandeira Lins
Cesar Giobbi
Elizabeth Machado
Jens Olesen
Julio Landmann
Marcos Arbaitman
Maria Ignez Corrêa da Costa Barbosa
Pedro Aranha Corrêa do Lago
Pedro Paulo de Sena Madureira
Roberto Muylaert
Rubens José Mattos Cunha Lima

Members

Alberto Emmanuel Whitaker
Alfredo Egydio Setubal
Ana Helena Godoy Pereira de Almeida Pires
Angelo Andrea Matarazzo
Antonio Henrique Cunha Bueno
Beatriz Yunes Guarita
Camila Appel
Carlos Alberto Frederico
Carlos Augusto Calil
Carlos Jereissati
Claudio Thomaz Lobo Sonder
Daniela Montingelli Villela
Danilo Santos de Miranda
Eduardo Saron
Fábio Magalhães
Felippe Crescenti
Flavia Buarque de Almeida
Flávia Cipovicci Berenguer
Flavia Regina de Souza Oliveira
Flávio Moura
Francisco Alambert
Gustavo Ioschpe
Heitor Martins
Helio Seibel
Isay Weinfeld
Jackson Schneider
Joaquim de Arruda Falcão Neto
José Olympio da Veiga Pereira (on leave)
Kelly de Amorim
Ligia Fonseca Ferreira
Lucio Gomes Machado
Luis Terepins
Maguy Etlin
Manoela Queiroz Bacelar
Marcelo Mattos Araujo (on leave)
Miguel Wady Chaia
Neide Helena de Moraes
Octavio de Barros
Rodrigo Bresser Pereira
Ronaldo Cezar Coelho
Rosiane Pecora
Sérgio Spinelli Silva Jr.
Susana Leirner Steinbruch
Tito Enrique da Silva Neto
Victor Pardini

Audit board

Edna Sousa de Holanda
Flávio Moura
Octavio Manoel Rodrigues de Barros

Board of Directors

Andrea Pinheiro · president
Maguy Etlin · first vice-president
Luiz Lara · second vice-president
Ana Paula Martinez
Francisco Pinheiro Guimarães
Maria Rita Drummond
Ricardo Diniz
Roberto Otero
Solange Sobral

Support and advisory bodies

Nominating Committee

Primary duty: organize the election process (including the establishment of assessment criteria and nomination of candidates) for members of the Executive Board and its committees, Audit Committe and Board of Directors.

Members from the Executive Board

Eduardo Saron · coordinator
Ana Helena Godoy Pires
Elizabeth Machado
Fabio Magalhães
Daniela Montingelli Villela

International Committee

Primary duties: promote the international visibility of the Bienal; support the organization of international activities and events; assist in fundraising abroad; nominate candidates for the International Advisory Board.

Members from the Executive Board

Maguy Etlin · coordinator
Beno Suchodolski
Maria Ignez Corrêa da Costa Barbosa
Neide Helena de Moraes
Pedro Aranha Corrêa do Lago
Susana Leirner Steinbruch

Natural members

Eduardo Saron
Ana Helena Godoy Pires
José Olympio da Veiga Pereira

Fundraising Committee

Primary duty: support the Board of Directors in the evaluation of options for funding and in the development and drafting of the funding plan.

Members from the Executive Board

Rosiane Pecora · coordinator
Ana Helena Godoy de Almeida Pires
Rodrigo Bresser

Members from the Board of Directors

Andrea Pinheiro
José Olympio da Veiga Pereira
Luiz Lara

International Advisory Board

Primary duties: contribute to the international visibility and integration of the Bienal, including the strengthening of ties between the Bienal and other similar institutions abroad; suggest new fronts for action, projects and activities; support fundraising abroad.

Members of the International Advisory Board

Maguy Etlin · president
Frances Reynolds · vice-president
Andrea de Botton Dreesmann & Quinten Dreesmann
Barbara Sobel
Catherine Petitgas
Mélanie Berghmans
Miwa Taguchi-Sugiyama
Pamela J. Joyner
Paula Macedo Weiss & Daniel Weiss
Sandra Hegedüs

Governance and Ethics Committee

Primary duties: propose and monitor improvements in the main dimensions of governance for the Bienal, including its By-laws, Internal Rules, Election Regulations and Code of Conduct, as well as processes of the Executive Board and Board of Directors; ensure the appropriate implementation of the Code of Conduct; evaluate conflicts of interest in the founding bodies and committees of the Bienal.

Members from the Executive Board

Claudio Sonder · coordinator
Alberto Whitaker
Daniela Montingelli Villela
Manoela Queiroz Bacelar
Octavio de Barros
Sérgio Spinelli

Members from the Board of Directors

Ana Paula Martinez
Francisco J. Pinheiro Guimarães
José Olympio da Veiga Pereira

Natural members

Eduardo Saron
Ana Helena Godoy Pereira de Almeida Pires

Team


Superintendencies

Antonio Thomaz Lessa Garcia · chief operating officer

Felipe Isola · chief projects officer
Joaquim Millan · chief projects officer

Caroline Carrion · chief communications officer

Executive Superintendency

Giovanna Querido
Marcella Batista

Institutional Relations and Partnerships

Irina Cypel · manager
Daniel Rubim
Jefferson Faria
Laura Caldas
Raquel Silva
Victória Bayma
Viviane Teixeira

Projects Superintendency

Production

Dorinha Santos · coordinator
Ariel Rosa Grininger
Bernard Lemos Tjabbes
Camila Cadette Ferreira
Camilla Ayla
Carolina da Costa Angelo
Manoel Borba
Nuno Holanda de Sá do Espírito Santo
Tatiana Oliveira de Farias

Education

Simone Lopes de Lira · production manager
Thiago Gil de Oliveira Virava · content manager
André Leitão
Bruna de Jesus Silva
Danilo Pera
Giovanna Endrigo
Regiane Ishii
Renato Lopes 
Tailicie Paloma Paranhos do Nascimento

Communications Superintendency

Rafael Falasco · editorial coordinator
Adriano Campos
Eduardo Lirani
Felipe de Melo Gomes
Francisco Belle Bresolin
Julia Bolliger Murari
Luciana Araujo Marques
Marina Fonseca
Nina Nunes
Jamilly Leite Santos · apprentice

Bienal Archive

Amanda Pereira Siqueira
Ana Helena Grizotto Custódio
Anna Beatriz Corrêa Bortoletto
Antonio Paulo Carretta
Daniel Malva Ribeiro
Júlia Maia Lisboa
Kleber Costa Timoteo
Marcele Souto Yakabi
Pedro Ivo Trasferetti von Ah
Raquel Coelho Moliterno
Sheila Virginia Rocha de Oliveira Castro
Thais Ferreira Dias
Leandro Melo · conservation advisor
Aila Passeto Castro de Sousa · intern
Julia Schettini Alves · intern
Milena Ondichiatti Bessan · intern
Caroline de Paula Marques · apprentice
Jennyfer Fagundes de Farias · apprentice

Administrative and Finance

Finances

Amarildo Firmino Gomes · manager
Edson Pereira de Carvalho · coordinator
Fábio Kato
Silvia Andrade Simões Branco
Eduarda Silva Espinola · apprentice

Materials and Property

Valdomiro Rodrigues da Silva · manager
Larissa Di Ciero Ferradas · coordinator
Angélica de Oliveira Divino
Daniel Pereira
Sergio Faria Lima
Victor Senciel
Vinícius Robson da Silva Araújo
Wagner Pereira de Andrade

Planning and Operations

Rone Amabile
Vera Lucia Kogan

Human Resources

Higor Tocchio
Matheus Andrade Sartori

Information Technology

Ricardo Bellucci
Jhones Alves do Nascimento
Matheus Lourenço

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