Lina Bo Bardi’s Iconic Midcentury in São Paulo Just Reopened With a New Art Exhibition
After closing at the beginning of the pandemic, Casa de Vidro is once again welcoming visitors with works by furniture designer and artists Rodrigo Silveira.
After closing at the beginning of the pandemic, Casa de Vidro is once again welcoming visitors with works by furniture designer and artist Rodrigo Silveira.
For 70 years now, Casa de Vidro has shone through the thicket of São Paulo’s rainforest as one of the world’s most expressive examples of modernism. Yet more impressive is that it was Italian-Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi’s first project, created in 1951 as a residence for herself and her husband, Pietro Maria Bardi. There, the couple hosted symposia for international academics, artists, and thinkers, the glass-encased home as venue, and the surrounding forest a verdant backdrop.
Today, the residence is home to Instituto Bardi, an organization that is building on the Bardis’ tradition of promoting artistic and cultural discourse. Their latest effort? A new exhibition by furniture designer Rodrigo Silveira that creates a poetic dialogue with the 70-year-old home.
Casa de Vidro, completed in 1951, features glass walls that wrap around the first floor on three sides. Since this photo was taken, the rainforest has regrown around the home, creating a new dialogue between the architecture and the surrounding landscape.
Courtesy of Instituto Bardi
"The couple were tremendously active in the cultural world, and Lina Bo Bardi used to say that her house was a living space that welcomed all kinds of expressions," says Waldick Jatobá, president of Instituo Bardi and Casa de Vidro. "When I started managing the house, my idea was to bring this thought to life as well—and it’s my intention to let this space live rather than be like a mausoleum."
Lina Bo Bardi stands on a landing that leads to ground level.
Courtesy of Instituto Bardi
"Usually, I try to identify a connection between the work of an artist and Lina Bo Bardi’s work or thoughts," says Waldick Jatobá, president of Instituto Bardi and Casa de Vidro. "The materiality of Rodrigo Silveira’s work, the way he cares about wood, and his respect for the manual process are also things that Lina Bo Bardi cared about."
Courtesy of Instituto Bardi
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