Instituto Moreira Salles
Brazilian nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to photography, literature, visual arts, music, cinema, and iconography.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS), or the Moreira Salles Institute, is a Brazilian nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1992 by diplomat and banker Walter Moreira Salles. The institute was created to support the preservation, study, and public circulation of cultural materials, with particular emphasis on photography, literature, iconography, visual arts, music, and cinema. Its work combines collection building, conservation, research, exhibitions, publications, educational programming, film screenings, concerts, and digital access. IMS began in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, a city connected to the Moreira Salles family's history, where its first cultural center opened in 1992. The organization subsequently established a São Paulo presence in 1996 and opened a cultural center in Rio de Janeiro in 1999. The Rio facility occupies a former Moreira Salles family residence in Gávea, built in the early 1950s and designed by architect Olavo Redig de Campos, with landscaping by Roberto Burle Marx. The building functions both as a cultural venue and as an example of Brazilian modernist residential architecture. The institute's São Paulo headquarters, at Paulista Avenue 2424, opened in 2017 after approximately six years of construction. Designed by Andrade Morettin, the nine-floor building includes exhibition spaces, a 150-seat cinema, study areas, classrooms, a café, and a restaurant. It became IMS's principal urban center and expanded the organization's capacity to present exhibitions, courses, lectures, screenings, and public events. The building also houses Richard Serra's monumental sculpture ECHO, installed in 2019 and described by IMS as the artist's only work in South America. IMS is especially recognized for its photographic collection, one of the most significant institutional photography collections in Brazil. The collection was formally established in 1995 through the acquisition of nineteenth-century photographs and later expanded through the incorporation of archives by Brazilian and international photographers. Among the represented photographers are Marc Ferrez, Augusto Malta, Hércules Florence, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Marcel Gautherot, Thomaz Farkas, Maureen Bisilliat, José Medeiros, David Drew Zingg, Alice Brill, Hans Gunter Flieg, Madalena Schwartz, Otto Stupakoff, and many others. The collection documents Brazilian society, landscapes, urban development, visual culture, communications, and artistic practice across different periods. In 2016, the institute acquired the photographic archive of Diários Associados, a major twentieth-century Brazilian media group. The acquisition included material associated with Rio de Janeiro newspapers including O Jornal, Diário da Noite, and Jornal do Commercio. IMS also maintains a photography-focused library at its Paulista Avenue center, with capacity for approximately 30,000 volumes and other specialized resources. The institute's public activities extend beyond physical collections. Portions of its holdings are available for consultation through IMS's website and cultural centers, and since 2019 the organization has contributed parts of its public-domain collection to Wikimedia Commons. IMS operates online radio channels and publishes exhibition catalogues, books, and periodicals. Its magazines include Zum, a semiannual publication focused on contemporary photography in Brazil and internationally, and Serrote, a quarterly magazine devoted to essays and ideas. Through these activities, IMS operates as an archive, research institution, publisher, exhibition producer, cinema and music venue, and public-facing cultural center.
History
Instituto Moreira Salles was established in 1992 by Walter Moreira Salles, a Brazilian diplomat and banker. The institution's first cultural center was created in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, a location associated with the Moreira Salles family's settlement in the region in 1918. Its founding mission was to preserve cultural memory and make significant collections available for research, interpretation, and public enjoyment. The institute expanded beyond Poços de Caldas during the 1990s. It developed a presence in São Paulo in 1996 and opened its Rio de Janeiro center in October 1999. IMS Rio occupies a residence formerly used by Walter Moreira Salles and his family in the Gávea neighborhood. Built in 1951, the house was designed by Olavo Redig de Campos and has gardens attributed to Burle Marx. It became a setting for exhibitions, film programs, concerts, and the presentation of photography, literature, music, and iconographic materials. Photography became one of the institute's central fields. IMS began forming its photographic collection in 1995 with the acquisition of nineteenth-century images. It subsequently assembled archives documenting Brazilian history, society, architecture, communication, and artistic practice. The holdings include work by photographers such as Marc Ferrez, Augusto Malta, Alberto Henschel, Hércules Florence, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Marcel Gautherot, Thomaz Farkas, Maureen Bisilliat, José Medeiros, Alice Brill, Madalena Schwartz, Otto Stupakoff, and David Drew Zingg. The collection also includes important material by foreign photographers who worked in or documented Brazil. A significant later expansion occurred in 2016, when IMS acquired the photographic archive of Diários Associados. The media group had been one of Brazil's most influential twentieth-century communications organizations under Assis Chateaubriand. The acquisition brought together newspaper-related photographic materials from publications including O Jornal, Diário da Noite, and Jornal do Commercio, strengthening IMS's role as a custodian of Brazilian press and visual history. The institute's São Paulo operations moved to a major new center on Paulista Avenue in 2017. The building, designed by Andrade Morettin, opened on 20 September 2017 after about six years of construction. Its facilities include three exhibition halls, a 150-seat cinetheater, a study area, three classrooms, a café, and a restaurant. The building broadened IMS's ability to combine exhibitions with courses, lectures, screenings, research, and other public programs. In January 2019, Richard Serra's ECHO was installed there, adding a major work of contemporary sculpture to the center. Alongside physical venues, IMS developed digital and publishing activities. Selected parts of its collections are available for consultation online, and the organization operates internet radio channels. Its publishing program produces books and exhibition catalogues, while Zum addresses contemporary photography in Brazil and abroad and Serrote publishes essays and writing on ideas. Since 2019, IMS has also contributed portions of its public-domain collection to Wikimedia Commons, supporting broader digital dissemination. Today, IMS operates as a family-managed nonprofit cultural institution with centers in Poços de Caldas, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Its activities span collecting, conservation, archival research, exhibitions, publications, education, cinema, music, and online access. Rather than functioning as a commercial consumer brand, it is positioned as an institution for the preservation and interpretation of Brazilian cultural heritage and for the presentation of contemporary cultural production.
- 2019
ECHO installed and public-domain digitization expands
[1]Richard Serra's ECHO was installed at IMS Paulista, and IMS began contributing parts of its public-domain collection to Wikimedia Commons.
- 2017
IMS Paulista inaugurated
[1]The institute opened its new São Paulo headquarters at Paulista Avenue 2424 on 20 September.
- 2016
Diários Associados photographic archive acquired
[1]IMS acquired a major newspaper and media photographic archive associated with Diários Associados.
- 1999
IMS Rio opens
[1]The Rio de Janeiro cultural center opened in October in the former Moreira Salles family residence in Gávea.
- 1996
São Paulo operations begin
[1]The institute expanded its cultural activities to São Paulo.
- 1995
Photographic collection established
[1]IMS began its institutional photography collection through the acquisition of nineteenth-century photographs.
- 1992
Institute founded and first cultural center established in Poços de Caldas
[1]Walter Moreira Salles founded IMS and established its first cultural center in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais.
Products and positioning
A major Brazilian nonprofit archive and cultural platform that connects preservation and research with public programming in photography, literature, visual arts, music, cinema, and cultural history.
Archive and cultural collection · 1995
IMS photographic collection
IMS maintains approximately two million photographs covering Brazilian history, society, landscapes, communications, and visual arts. The holdings include nineteenth-century material and archives by photographers such as Marc Ferrez, Augusto Malta, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Marcel Gautherot, Thomaz Farkas, Maureen Bisilliat, José Medeiros, and many others. The institute acquires, preserves, researches, exhibits, and selectively digitizes the material.
Magazine
Zum
Zum is a semiannual publication focused on contemporary photography from Brazil and around the world. It forms part of IMS's publishing and critical-programming activities, connecting photographic practice with essays, visual analysis, and broader cultural debate.
Magazine
Serrote
Serrote is a quarterly magazine centered on essays and ideas. It extends IMS's cultural mission into literary and intellectual publishing and complements the institute's work in literature, visual culture, and public debate.
Cultural center · 2017
IMS Paulista
IMS Paulista is the institute's principal São Paulo facility. Designed by Andrade Morettin, the nine-floor building contains three exhibition halls, a 150-seat cinetheater, a study area, classrooms, dining facilities, and collection-related resources. It supports exhibitions, film programs, lectures, courses, research, and public events.
Cultural center · 1999
IMS Rio
IMS Rio is a cultural center in Gávea housed in a former Moreira Salles family residence. The modernist building and Burle Marx landscape provide space for exhibitions, films, concerts, and access to collections in photography, music, literature, and iconography.
Brand decisions
2019
Expand online access through public-domain contributionsOtherBackground
IMS held public-domain materials whose wider dissemination could support research, education, and public access to Brazilian cultural history.
Action taken
The institute began contributing part of its public-domain collection to Wikimedia Commons.
Aftermath
Selected collection material became available through a widely used open digital platform in addition to IMS's own website and cultural centers.
2017
Open a new flagship cultural center in São PauloStrategyBackground
IMS sought a larger and more flexible public facility in São Paulo to accommodate exhibitions, cinema, education, research, and cultural events.
Action taken
The institute inaugurated the Andrade Morettin-designed IMS Paulista building at Paulista Avenue 2424.
Aftermath
The new headquarters increased the scale and visibility of IMS's public programming and became a major venue for its collections and cultural activities.
2016
Acquire the Diários Associados photographic archiveOtherBackground
The archive of Diários Associados contained historically important photographic material connected with major Brazilian newspapers and twentieth-century media history.
Action taken
IMS acquired the archive, including material associated with O Jornal, Diário da Noite, and Jornal do Commercio.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded IMS's documentary holdings and reinforced its role in preserving Brazil's press and visual heritage.
Recent events
- 2019
Richard Serra's ECHO is installed at IMS Paulista[1]
Other
The monumental sculpture ECHO by Richard Serra was installed at the São Paulo center. IMS identifies it as the artist's only sculpture in South America.
- 2019
IMS contributes public-domain collection material to Wikimedia Commons[1]
Other
The institute began contributing part of its public-domain collection to Wikimedia Commons, extending online access to selected cultural holdings.
- 2017
IMS opens its new São Paulo headquarters on Paulista Avenue[1]
Other
The institute inaugurated its new São Paulo cultural center at Paulista Avenue 2424. The Andrade Morettin-designed building added exhibition galleries, a cinema, classrooms, study facilities, and hospitality spaces to IMS's public infrastructure.
- 2016
IMS acquires the Diários Associados photographic archive[1]
Other
IMS acquired a substantial photographic archive associated with Diários Associados, including material from several historically important Rio de Janeiro newspapers.
Sources2 sources
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