While some inhabitants of this never-stopping city are at companies, restaurants, avenues, shops, cinemas and parks, others taste the high accurate options in culture. There are almost 40 cultural centers in the city, where exhibitions, performances, courses, discussions and workshops about all types of art are held every day. The best of all is that versatility and quality of attractions are a trademark of these venues, and also a promoting agent of great art, organizing events at low cost or free. Additionally, most of cultural centers are located in beautiful architecture buildings, making it a show itself.

Here you have some of these culture paradises in Sao Paulo. Welcome.

Cinemateca
Although totally focused on the 7th art, Cinemateca offers many possibilities. Audiovisual library keeps one of the largest collections in Latin America with advertising films, documentaries, news, family records, and other rare issues. But there are more things: Its rich collection of books, photos, documents, academic articles and projects about cinema and also courses and theme exhibitions about theatrical features and short films make Cinemateca a multipurpose culture and research center.

Fundação Maria Luisa & Oscar Americano
Visual arts, music and green area beautifully together. Maria Luisa & Oscar Americano Foundation is a cultural center housing a wide collection of Brazilian art works of 17 through 20 centuries, keeping part of the Imperial Brazil’s memories. On Sunday mornings, you will find musical concerts at the auditorium. This Foundation also offers courses and lectures about arts and culture, additionally to guided visits to this 75,000 m2 park, located in Foundation facilities. There are special programs and tours for different visitor’s profiles: School groups, teenagers, adults and family. At an annexed building, there is a gift shop selling art books, engraving and porcelains.
 
Centro Cultural da Juventude
It is an 8,000m²-area public center, managed by São Paulo Secretariat of Culture, focused on exhibitions and teaching culture and arts in projects of scenic arts, digital culture, do-it-yourself (incentive to independent cultural production), reflections (lectures, chats and seminars), time of university test, visual arts, audiovisual arts and meetings (visits to cultural equipment in the city, performances, group musical production). Its infrastructure offers library, amphitheater, arena theater, musical recording studios, video and audio edition stations, workshops, gallery, and other areas. It is a plural and democratic culture center that offers free activities and events.

Caixa Cultural
The motto “Come to feel the art” explains Caixa Cultural proposal, an initiative by Caixa Econômica Federal set up in eight Brazilian states, with two units in the city of São Paulo. Sé Cathedral region and Paulista Avenue. Committed with valuing diversity and roots of the Brazilian culture, Caixa Cultural sponsors events in all different arts: Music, theater, dance, plastic arts exhibitions, photography exhibition, installations and handicraft. Caixa Cultural also organizes cultural exchange sponsoring international events. Caixa Cultural also has a social and pedagogical profile to develop its projects to provide art in a democratic and inclusive way to students, third age people and people with special needs. All activities are free.



Casa das Rosas (Rose House)
Espaço Haroldo de Campos de Poesia e Literatura – aka Casa das Rosas—is one of the shrines of poetry and arts in São Paulo, located in the beginning of Paulista Avenue. One of the few remaining original houses on Paulista Avenue, Casa das Rosas was built in a 5,000 m2 area and has been declared public heritage.  Additionally to meetings, concerts, theater plays, exhibitions and other art activities, Casa das Rosas has a library with more than 2,500 Brazilian and foreign literature and poetry books available for rental – and Haroldo de Campos library holds personal collection of the poet with 20,000 books. This collection houses rare issues of literature, poetry, philosophy and other genres, in many different languages. Casa das Rosas also offers a wide program of culture and literature courses.

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB)
CCBBs are located in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília and are acknowledged by organizing multi subject activities at very low price in a quality programming for all social segments. In São Paulo, CCBB contributes to animate even more the cultural vivid life in Sao Paulo and also to change the relation of people living here with downtown, as the cultural center is located in the old historic center. There are more than 4,000 sq.m. with exhibition rooms, cinema, theater, auditorium, shop and coffee shop. In schedule, exhibitions and discussions about contemporary issues on music, plastic arts and scenic arts, cinema, literature, dance, theater and education programs. São Paulo CCBB has been awarded due to the quality of exhibitions, trustee work, art support, and others.

Centro Cultural Fiesp
Modern architecture gathering alternative areas for theater, dance, cinema, concerts, exhibitions and lectures; this cultural center is known as one of the main centers in Sao Paulo. Teatro Popular do Sesi is one of the most important scenic arts areas in Brazil, awarded along its 40 years. At mezzanine, experimental shows, performances, film projection, lectures and workshops are held. Panorama Sesi de Dança (Dance Award) and Fiesp/Sesi-SP Award for São Paulo cinema are held at Centro Cultural Fiesp.

Itaú Cultural
This awarded institute works in areas like research, production, mapping, incentive and diffusion of Brazilian artistic and intellectual manifestations, both in Brazil and abroad. Itaú Cultural houses the largest collection of Portuguese and Brazilian coins and medals collections, a media library with more than 30,000 documents about Brazilian art and culture, library with books on visual arts, scenic arts, music and literature and a video collection with representative Brazilian short films and theatrical features. This institute also organizes temporary exhibitions and courses and seminars about arts, photograph, education and culture. All activities are free.



Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP)
Opened in 1982, Centro Cultural was one of the first multisubject cultural areas in Brazil organizing exhibitions, shows, workshops and discussions about cinema, dance, visual arts, scenic arts, classic music and popular music and also a special program for children and teenagers. CCSP also houses expressive collections of several themes and media, a set of three libraries, a comics library, reading room; there is also a bike parking and restaurant. Centro Cultural São Paulo supports experimental arts, brings together artists and approaches them to the general and varied public.

Instituto Moreira Salles
This cultural center was opened in Sao Paulo in 1996 to promote and develop culture in photograph, literature, cinema, plastic arts and Brazilian music. The Institute’s rich collections of photograph, iconography, music and documents are housed here. IMS also organizes exhibitions, concerts and courses always focused on formation and training of people. Instituto Moreira Salles also coordinates activities at Espaços Unibanco de Cinema/Unibanco Arteplex, organizing exhibitions related to current cinema programming.

Museu Lasar Segall
Since 1967, an institution to preserve, study and promote the work of Lasar Segall at the house where he lived and worked. Lasar Segall Museum houses a collection with more than 3,000 works, including painting, engraving, drawing and sculpture, additionally to organize temporary exhibition focused on different artists and techniques. The institution is also a cultural activity center, providing guided visits and courses in several areas, like photograph and literary creation, and also houses a scenic art and photograph-specialized library, a coffee shop and a cinema. Plurality in programming focuses on promoting cultural manifestations and citizenship formation within Brazilian context.

Centro Cultural Rio Verde
In the charming, modern and fashionable region of Vila Madalena, an alternative place is hidden where people can appreciate and live different ways of art. Internal and external carefully decorated facilities are the stage for music shows, theater, dance or even lectures and chats about art and culture. Project Estação Catraca Livre is also held at Centro Cultural Rio Verde on Sundays with cultural activities starting at 4pm, with exhibitions, concerts, performances, CD, book and DVD releases and others. Free.

Sesc
There are 16 Sesc units in metropolitan São Paulo region promoting culture and education as tools to construct citizenship. Thus, projects for all ages and audiences are developed in sports and arts – with performances and courses -, social and environmental education, and other initiatives providing new and significant experiences to people and their group.    


Service
Cinemateca Brasileira (Brazilian Cinematheque)
Address: Largo Senador Raul Cardoso, 207 – Vila Clementino (subway station Vila Mariana)
Telephone (11) 3512-6111
website: www.cinemateca.com.br

Fundação Maria Luisa & Oscar Americano
Address: Avenida Morumbi, 4.077 - Morumbi
Telephone (11) 3742-0077
website: www.fundacaooscaramericano.org.br

Centro Cultural da Juventude
Address: Avenida Deputado Emílio Carlos, 3.641 – Vila Nova Cachoeirinha (next to Terminal Cachoeirinha)
Telephone (11) 3984-2466
website: http://escuta.estudiolivre.org/

Caixa Cultural
Sé: Praça da Sé, 111 - Downtown
Galeria Vitrine da Paulista: Avenida Paulista, 2.083, 1st floor (Conjunto Nacional)
Telephone (11) 3321-4400
website: www.caixacultural.com.br

Casa das Rosas (Rose House)
Address: Avenida Paulista, 37 – Bela Vista
Telephone (11) 3288-9447
website: www.casadasrosas-sp.org.br

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil São Paulo
Address: Rua Álvares Penteado, 112 – Downtown
Telephone (11) 3113-3651/3652
Visit the website

Centro Cultural Fiesp - Ruth Cardoso
Address: Avenida Paulista, 1313 – Cerqueira César (subway station Tianon-Masp)
Telephone (11) 3146-7405
Visit the website

Itaú Cultural
Address: Avenida Paulista, 149 – Bela Vista
Telephone (11) 2168-1777
website: www.itaucultural.org.br

Centro Cultural São Paulo
Address: Rua Vergueiro, 1.000 – Paraíso
Telephone (11) 3397-4002
website: www.centrocultural.sp.gov.br

Instituto Moreira Salles
Address: Rua Piauí, 844, 1st floor – Higienópolis
Telephone (11) 3825-2560
website: http://ims.uol.com.br/ims/

Museu Lasar Segall
Address: Rua Berta, 111 – Vila Mariana (next to subway station Vila Mariana or Santa Cruz)
Telephone (11) 5574-7422
website: www.museusegall.org.br

Centro Cultural Rio Verde
Address: Rua Belmiro Braga, 119 – Vila Madalena
Telephone (11) 3459-5321
website: www.centroculturalrioverde.com.br

Sesc São Paulo
website: http://www.sescsp.org.br/sesc/