DonationOctober 8, 2020
Paulo Mendes da Rocha donates archive collection
Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha donated his entire collection to Casa da Arquitectura - Portuguese Centre for Architecture based in Matosinhos, which is dedicated to preserving and sharing architectural documents.
Considered one of the world's most renowned living Brazilian architects, Pritzker Prize winner 2006, at 91 years old he speaks of “this as being a manifestation of freedom” when executing the donation to the Portugal Institution.
The arrival of the entire Paulo Mendes da Rocha collection follows the donation in 2015 of the National Coach Museum project, and in 2018 a set of seven projects for the Brazilian Architecture Collection. The material which now arrives at Casa da Arquitectura will be received by more than 30 employees dedicated to inventory and organizing the thousands of items produced during his long professional life from the 1950s to the present day.
This incorporation encompasses nearly 8,800 items, relating to more than 320 projects and comprises approximately 6,300 analog drawings, 3,000 photographs and slides, 300 publications, and a set of models made by the architect himself.
The collection will integrate the Casa’s Archive Digital Platform, which will be launched later this year, and which will allow universal access to all documents. For research and study purposes, Casa also provides high resolution images free of charge, thus promoting research and the development of knowledge about the work of the Brazilian architect.
For the Executive Director of Casa da Arquitectura, Nuno Sampaio, the arrival of this collection is a reason “of great satisfaction, due to the availability of Paulo Mendes da Rocha in acceding to our challenge to incorporate the totality of his collection in CA, completing the two previous donations”. And he adds: “Casa da Arquitectura is committed to maintain the unicity of the collection, presenting it to the world through its digital platforms and sharing and making available to researchers, students, universities at zero cost, promoting the study, publication and research on this very important work.”
The Minister of Culture, Graça Fonseca, said, in this regard, that “we are very proud to welcome in Portugal the complete collection of the prestigious Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, author of the National Coach Museum, in Lisbon. It is with confidence in the institution Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Centre for Architecture and in the work developed by it in the treatment, conservation and public dissemination of the different collections that it has been hosting, that I welcome this very important collection for the history and knowledge of contemporary architecture worldwide.”
Casa da Arquitectura will hold a monographic Exhibition dedicated to the architect in mid-2022, whose curatorial team will include architect Catherine Otondo, who was involved in the collection inventory process together with architect Berta Oliveira.
For more information visit: https://casadaarquitectura.pt/en/
Considered one of the world's most renowned living Brazilian architects, Pritzker Prize winner 2006, at 91 years old he speaks of “this as being a manifestation of freedom” when executing the donation to the Portugal Institution.
The arrival of the entire Paulo Mendes da Rocha collection follows the donation in 2015 of the National Coach Museum project, and in 2018 a set of seven projects for the Brazilian Architecture Collection. The material which now arrives at Casa da Arquitectura will be received by more than 30 employees dedicated to inventory and organizing the thousands of items produced during his long professional life from the 1950s to the present day.
This incorporation encompasses nearly 8,800 items, relating to more than 320 projects and comprises approximately 6,300 analog drawings, 3,000 photographs and slides, 300 publications, and a set of models made by the architect himself.
The collection will integrate the Casa’s Archive Digital Platform, which will be launched later this year, and which will allow universal access to all documents. For research and study purposes, Casa also provides high resolution images free of charge, thus promoting research and the development of knowledge about the work of the Brazilian architect.
For the Executive Director of Casa da Arquitectura, Nuno Sampaio, the arrival of this collection is a reason “of great satisfaction, due to the availability of Paulo Mendes da Rocha in acceding to our challenge to incorporate the totality of his collection in CA, completing the two previous donations”. And he adds: “Casa da Arquitectura is committed to maintain the unicity of the collection, presenting it to the world through its digital platforms and sharing and making available to researchers, students, universities at zero cost, promoting the study, publication and research on this very important work.”
The Minister of Culture, Graça Fonseca, said, in this regard, that “we are very proud to welcome in Portugal the complete collection of the prestigious Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, author of the National Coach Museum, in Lisbon. It is with confidence in the institution Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Centre for Architecture and in the work developed by it in the treatment, conservation and public dissemination of the different collections that it has been hosting, that I welcome this very important collection for the history and knowledge of contemporary architecture worldwide.”
Casa da Arquitectura will hold a monographic Exhibition dedicated to the architect in mid-2022, whose curatorial team will include architect Catherine Otondo, who was involved in the collection inventory process together with architect Berta Oliveira.
For more information visit: https://casadaarquitectura.pt/en/
