CRACKS 3 BY MATTEO BERGAMINI

CASA IRAMAIA, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Mendes Wood DM - Casa Iramaia, São Paulo. ph. Gui Gomes

A recent phenomenon has seen contemporary art galleries increasingly distancing themselves from the idea of a “white cube” in search of locations that are not so much less “homely” as more charming: after all, art works are often sold for private collections and, hence, family settings that are stylish, tasteful and, why not, a bit eccentric. So, on the radar are what might be described as beautiful homes – as is the case in Milan with MASSIMODECARLO, currently located at Casa Corbellini-Wassermann designed by the architect Piero Portaluppi in the mid-1930s or Thaddaeus Ropac at Palazzo Belgioioso, in what used to be one of De Carlo’s own properties. This is also very much the trend in Brazil, too: Luciana Brito Gallery is located in a beautiful house designed by Rino Levi and Galleria Leme is set in an iconic brutalist building designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha; indeed São Paulo has many venues housed in iconic structures.

 

Mendes Wood DM - Casa Iramaia, São Paulo. ph. Gui Gomes

Mendes Wood DM is no exception (a gallery with locations in New York, Germantown, Brussels, and Paris) which, ever since 2023, has been using Casa Iramaia by Gregori Warchavchik as its second São Paulo location, in addition to its large pavilion in Barra Funda. Designed in 1952 by the man considered to be the first Brazilian modernist architect and his partner, the engineer Walter Neumann (as their own home), the house not only featured its own proper heating system – consisting of a series of connected fireplaces – but also an open-air living space, a large ground-floor area surrounded by a lush garden (originally designed by the first female landscape architect of the day, Mina Klabin) and almost completely open, except for the pillars supporting the house’s curved structure. 

Mendes Wood DM - Casa Iramaia, São Paulo. ph. Gui Gomes

A must-see is the spiral staircase leading to both the indoor area, which opens up to a large living room over by the old bedrooms and a study area, and also, over on the other side, to what used to be the house’s kitchen and service area, now converted into a minimalist exhibition room, perfect for video projections. The residence, located on the border between Faria Lima thoroughfare and the upmarket Jardins neighbourhood, was completely renovated in a conservative style in 2022, rethinking the space designed as a detached home into an art gallery, without interfering with the essence of the original architecture. A masterstroke that now allows visitors to enjoy exhibitions, mostly solo shows – Lygia Pape, Laurie Simmons and Jimmy DeSana, Peter Hujar, and Lucas Arruda have, among others, already shown their work here – while at the same time feeling as if “they are at home.” Matteo Bergamini