Roberto Marinho’s house always promoted the arts and education. Now it is the Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho. It stands before us as a testament to a life dedicated to Brazilian culture. The story of this house begins with Roberto Marinho. He was a businessman, journalist and art collector. He lived in this Cosme Velho house for six decades.
Roberto Marinho started building his house in 1939. César Melo Cunha was the engineer. He was an assistant to Joseph Gire. Gire also designed the Copacabana Palace Hotel. The house’s neocolonial architecture draws inspiration from Solar de Megaípe. This is a 17th-century farm in Pernambuco. It was an unusual choice for pre-modernist Rio. European styles were more common then. The house was inaugurated in 1943.
Roberto Marinho intended the house to host his family. But it should also allow for cultural events related to his business. For 60 years, the house hosted concerts and plays. It also held literature and visual arts events. The house even served as an informal bureau for the Foreign Affairs Ministry. It hosted important heads of state there.
Roberto Marinho began collecting art from contemporary artists. These artists focused on Brazil as their theme. They used it as their language and driving force. They wanted to break from traditional European painting. They replaced temperate forests with tropical species. Over the years, the collection grew to include some international works. However, it always focused on national art. It showcased Brazilian Modernism of the 1930s and 1940s. Informal Abstractionism also featured prominently. Roberto Marinho rotated paintings on the walls.
By the 1980s, his collection had outgrown the available space. He stored the works in a specific location. Roberto Marinho wanted to share his collection with a wider audience. He lent his artwork to institutions. Between 1984 and 2014, twelve exhibitions occurred. They took place in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Buenos Aires.
After Roberto Marinho passed away in 2003, the house remained quiet. In 2014, the transformation into Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho began. The main house was restored. It became an exhibition space. New buildings were added. They included an educational space. There was also a technical reserve to store artwork not on display.
The garden is an essential part of the Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho. Burle Marx designed it. It was one of his first gardens with tropical plants for a private property. The landscaping also included a project by Attílio Corrêa Lima. In the 1990s, Isabel Duprat remodeled the garden. She recovered Burle Marx’s original ideas. The project preserved the surrounding forest. It also kept the brook and the lake. Roberto Marinho grew carps in the lake.
The Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho has about 1400 pieces. It offers educational activities and short-term exhibitions. The space includes a café. There is also an art library and a cinema.
Exhibiting educating and preserving are the institute’s main goals. It uses Roberto Marinho’s art collection. It carries out cultural activities. It maintains the peace and simplicity of a residence. The residence is nestled in the Tijuca Forest. The traditional pink facade was preserved. Few modifications happened to the external environment. The Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho opened in 2018. It continues Roberto Marinho’s legacy. It promotes Brazilian art and culture.