With 930 objects produced by European immigrants in southern Brazil between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the Museu do Ipiranga, in São Paulo, opened the exhibition Design e cotidiano na coleção Azevedo Moura on May 27. The collection was on display in Porto Alegre in 2024 when the city was hit by the flooding of the Guaíba River, which adds an extra layer of history and memory to it. Curated by Adélia Borges, the exhibition was organized and produced by Expomus, with logistics carried out by Clé Chenue do Brasil, both companies of the same international group.
What the Azevedo Moura collection holds
Through household items, toys and work tools, the collection portrays the social imagination and daily life of German and Italian immigrants, revealing personal aspects of the world of people who sought to build a new life. The pieces combine, on one side, the memories, techniques and customs the immigrants brought from their homeland and, on the other, the conditions and materials they found in their adopted land.
Sentimental value, not monetary
"Most of these objects have no monetary value in themselves. They are not items found in antique shops, valued for their monetary equivalence. Most are rudimentary and hark back to our rural roots. Brazil's urbanization is recent, so these pieces evoke fraternal bonds, generational traditions and affective memories," says the curator. The entire collection was gathered and transported by Clé Chenue do Brasil with the same planning and care devoted to the most valuable works of art.
How to visit
The exhibition runs until September 2025, with free admission, on the ground floor of the Museu do Ipiranga, which is open Tuesday to Sunday (including holidays), from 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry at 16:00).
The museum's other exhibitions are ticketed. More information on the institution's website.
