Galeria Prestes Maia

The Prestes Maia Gallery is an artistic and cultural space located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Situated in the Vale do Anhangabaú, it functions as an underground passage connecting Patriarca Square to the Anhangabaú Valley, with an exit under the Viaduto do Chá. Inaugurated in 1940, the gallery spans 6,000 square meters and was conceived to serve as a major venue for art and culture in the city's historic center. Its significance is rooted in its early role as a meeting place for artists and intellectuals, its architectural distinction as the site of the first public escalators in São Paulo, and its ongoing function as a subterranean cultural corridor.

Inaugurated in 1940 by then mayor Francisco Prestes Maia, the gallery opened with the presence of President Getúlio Vargas and modernist artist Anita Malfatti. Shortly after its opening, it hosted the Salão Paulista de Belas Artes. The site fell into disrepair in the 1970s as the historic center decayed, subsequently housing administrative offices for public agencies such as Cohab until October 2000, and the Orientation and Counseling Center (COA) for AIDS patients between 1989 and 1995. After the COA's deactivation in 1995, plans for a food court, auditorium, and a 24-hour shopping center were proposed but never materialized. Instead, the venue was transferred to Masp by mayoral decree, becoming Masp-Centro on November 28, 2000, with a minimal renovation of three hundred thousand reais. Masp-Centro hosted temporary exhibitions and events like São Paulo Fashion Week, but it never held a permanent collection. The concession ended in December 2008 under Mayor Gilberto Kassab, with repossession occurring in November 2009 after Masp reported severe infiltrations and the city cited improper use as a warehouse. In 2019, a project was announced to transform the site into the Museum of Citizenship and Human Rights, though this also remained unrealized.

The gallery was created specifically as an exhibition space rather than a collecting institution. During its tenure as Masp-Centro from 2000 to 2008, it explicitly did not exhibit any of the 300 works from the museum's permanent collection, instead displaying parts of the other 4,700 works the museum held in storage and hosting temporary exhibitions that the main headquarters could not accommodate. Historically, it served as the venue for major exhibitions like the Salão Paulista de Belas Artes. Currently, the gallery operates without a permanent collection, functioning as a venue for sporadic cultural, artistic, and commercial events, such as the 2025 Mostra CULTrua, which showcased over 70 works by 46 contemporary artists focused on urban themes.

While not a collecting institution, the gallery's interior houses permanent sculptural works integrated into its architecture. These include the sculptures Graça I and Graça II by Victor Brecheret, as well as a bronze replica of Michelangelo's Moises crafted by the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios. Historically, a Neapolitan nativity scene from 1720, donated by Ciccillo Matarazzo and now part of the Museum of Sacred Art of São Paulo, was first assembled in the city within this gallery.

The gallery comprises three floors: a basement providing access to the Anhangabaú Valley under the Viaduto do Chá, a ground floor, and a mezzanine housing the Almeida Júnior Room. The interior features walls and columns revetted in marble, with a design aesthetic reminiscent of Soviet brutalist architecture, characterized by sober colors and minimal ornamentation. In 1955, the first public escalators in São Paulo were inaugurated in the passageway by Mayor William Salem. In 2002, a marquee designed by architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha covered the upper entrance, replacing an art-deco shelter by architect Elisário Bahiana that was part of the Viaduto do Chá project and had been a listed monument since 1992. The marquee sparked controversy for allegedly affecting the visibility of the Church of Saint Anthony in Patriarca Square and drawing criticism from architecture professors.

Located in the historic center of São Paulo, the gallery links Praça do Patriarca to the Vale do Anhangabaú. After years of abandonment and closures, the site underwent renovations and reopened in 2024, aided by the Metropolitan Civil Guard to improve security. The space is currently managed by the Novo Anhangabaú concession, operated by the Viva o Vale consortium, which received the administration for a 10-year period starting in 2021. It remains without a definitive permanent program, hosting sporadic commercial and cultural events, including street art exhibitions and fashion events. The city has announced a 58 million reais revitalization project for the surrounding area, which includes restoring the Patriarca Square floor and implementing a historic tram for tourism, directly benefiting the gallery's accessibility and structural conditions.