Masp - part II MASP: a museum in the country of audacious ideas As an answer to the accusations that he was forming the collection with false pieces, Bardi traveled around Europe organizing expositions of the paintings and sculptures in the most prestigious institutions of the continent: Louvre of Paris, Palais de Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Central Museum in Utrecht, Tate Gallery of London and Palazzo Reale of Milan. The collection comes back to Brazil in 1957 and is presented in the National Museum of Fine Arts of Rio de Janeiro, in an exhibit opened by the President of the country, Juscelino Kubitschek, making quiet those who had doubts about the pieces. The Brazilian art is also present with paintings of Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, Anita Malfati etc. In the various occasions in which Bardi traveled to buy pieces, the direction of the museum was under Lina's responsibility. From the only floor in the beginning, the collection expanded to the second and, later, to the third floor. Bardi realized that it was necessary a new headquarters, a larger building that could house the "live museum" with which he had dreamed. The freedom architecture on Paulista Avenue The Bardis started to look for a place that could house the project. They found a piece of land of the city hall that had being donated by Joaquim Eugênio de Lima. The only demand was that the construction kept the view to downtown. Lina conceived in 1958 a building whose main body would be sustained by four columns. The view to downtown was preserved and the construction was begun. During ten years, Lina worked hard in the execution of her project, abdicating of any honorary. The result is a building that would become a post card of the city. Described by the musician Cage as an example of "a freedom architecture", the new headquarters was opened in 1968 with the presence of Queen Elizabeth, of England. Chateaubriand, victim of a serious and sudden disease, had already passed away in that occasion. In 1990, the building was repaired and became impermeable. The columns were painted red, what detached even more the architecture. Besides the courses, some of the expositions that passed by the museum's rooms were the German Expressionism, The Gold in Colombia, Pablo Picasso, Gaudí, Miró, Tesouros do Kremlin, Italian Painting from post-war to nowadays, Sebastião Salgado and Albert Eckout and his Time. After have left the direction of MASP, in 1992, Bardi becomes its Honor President. The art dealer never received any money for having worked during 40 years at MASP. According to himself, he dedicated his life to the museum and survived keeping his activities as art dealer and curator. Pietro Maria Bardi concludes his contribution to MASP, his live dream, donating to it Our Lady on the Throne with Jesus and Angels, of Maestro Del Bigallo, century XIII. The painting was part of the particular collection of the Professor and Lina and was donated in the occasion of the 100th birthday of Assis Chateaubriand. back

P.M. Bardi, circa 1986 Fausto Giaccone