A meticulous operation between France and Brazil has made it possible for the public of the Pinacoteca de São Paulo to appreciate the set of 129 pieces that form part of the exhibition Entre a cabeça e a terra: arte têxtil tradicional africana, on view at the Praça da Luz building until February 2025. The exhibition's logistics involved the French company Chenue and Clé Chenue do Brasil, part of the same international group specialised in fine art logistics.
Collection in France
In France, the collection was collected by Chenue at the Maison Gacha, a cultural space located in Paris. The French company was responsible for building made-to-measure crates to transport the works and for accompanying the air transport with a courier.
Customs clearance and installation in Brazil
Founded in the 18th century, Chenue is an international reference in fine art logistics and a shareholder in Clé Chenue do Brasil, which handled the Brazilian side of the operation. The work involved the customs clearance of the collection in São Paulo and its transport and unpacking at the Pinacoteca. The transport crates will be stored in Clé Chenue do Brasil's art storage facility, in climate-controlled environments with pest control, until the end of the show and the return to France.
The operation also involved collecting an item from the collection of the Museu Afro Brasil, in Ibirapuera.
What the Pinacoteca says
According to the Pinacoteca, "it is the first time that such an important set of works is being shown to the Brazilian public, still very much used to associating African textiles with the colourful prints of industrial production. In the show, visitors can encounter works that result from a body of ancestral artisanal knowledge, pieces whose production process can take weeks, even months".
How to visit
The Pinacoteca Luz is open Wednesday to Monday, from 10:00 to 18:00 (closed on Tuesdays).
