About the IMS collection
The Moreira Salles Institute (IMS) houses archives, collections, and works in seven areas: Contemporary Art, Photography Library, Memory and Documentation Center, Photography, Iconography, Literature, and Music. By working to preserve, organize, and disseminate its collection, the IMS seeks to fulfill its fundamental objective of promoting the broadest possible access to this heritage.
Areas
Photography
IMS’s commitment to photography stems from a deep recognition of its cultural relevance in Brazil—particularly in relation to memory and national history—as well as its fundamental role in communication and its increasing integration into the visual arts. Acknowledging the need to develop and preserve photographic collections in Brazil, Instituto Moreira Salles began systematically building its photography archive in 1995. Today, it stands as a national and international reference in the field.
Iconography
The IMS Iconography Department is dedicated to the research, conservation, and dissemination of archives related to Brazil’s graphic culture. It comprises drawings, prints, and personal archives of graphic artists that together offer an overview of the history of printed imagery in Brazil. The collections are organized into two main areas: Brasiliana, focused on Brazilian iconography and including works by traveling artists and naturalists such as Charles Landseer, Rugendas, Debret, and Von Martius; and illustrated press, featuring archives from prominent graphic artists such as J. Carlos and Millôr Fernandes.
Literature
The IMS Literature area began in 1994 with the acquisition of the archive of journalist and writer Otto Lara Resende. Since then, other significant collections have been added, providing a privileged insight into Brazilian literature—including the works of celebrated figures like Clarice Lispector and Carlos Drummond de Andrade. The department houses a library of approximately 30,000 items and an archive of about 130,000 documents. It organizes exhibitions, publishes previously unreleased materials, supports critical editions of authors’ works, and curates websites such as those dedicated to Clarice Lispector and Correio IMS, which features notable letters from various prominent figures in Brazilian culture.
Music
Launched in the early 2000s, the IMS Music Reserve currently holds 20 archives documenting the lives and work of composers, instrumentalists, researchers, and collectors, including Chiquinha Gonzaga, Ernesto Nazareth, Pixinguinha, Baden Powell, José Ramos Tinhorão, Edinha Diniz, and João Máximo, among others. These archives are notable for their diversity of materials, which include scores, rare recordings, books, photographs, documents, and records of radio programs and interviews. This invaluable body of work is increasingly being made available through new technological tools, greatly benefiting musicological research.
Contemporary Art
The Contemporary Art collection at Instituto Moreira Salles began in 2013 with a focus on current artistic production, represented by active artists and works that explore new directions in creative practice. Much of the collection has been developed in collaboration with the curatorial team through exhibitions or support initiatives. Notable examples include special projects such as Câmera Aberta by Michael Wesely and Offside Brazil, in partnership with Magnum Photos, as well as various works produced with support from the ZUM Photography Grant, awarded annually to two recipients. The collection includes photographs, videos, books, and installations, among other media. A key aim of this collection is to cross artistic boundaries, preserving works such as Brasil X Argentina by Dora Longo Bahia, live broadcasts by Mídia Ninja (2013–2017), the film Casulo by the duo Dias & Riedweg, and the photo series Retrato Falado by Eustáquio Neves.
Memory and Documentation Center
The Memory and Documentation Center (CMD) is responsible for the archives of IMS founder Walther Moreira Salles; the architect of the Gávea house, which now houses IMS Rio, Olavo Redig de Campos; the former butler of the Moreira Salles family, Santiago Badariotti; the IMS institutional archive, the institutional library, and the IMS product collection.
Public domain
The IMS offers a portion of its photographic and iconographic collection in the public domain for free download. This includes around 10,000 items, such as photographs, engravings, drawings, and paintings, produced between the 16th century and the first three decades of the 20th century. The subjects covered include natural and urban landscapes, portraits, expeditions, the forced labor of enslaved people, Indigenous peoples, urban development, architecture, popular demonstrations, politics, and cartography.
Licensing
If you wish to use any document, work or object that is not in the public domain, please write to: [email protected]