Independence or Death
By Pedro Américo.
ProtoplasmaKid — CC BY 4.0 · Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação from Brasília - DF, Brasil — CC BY 2.0 · Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação from Brasília - DF, Brasil — CC BY 2.0
The Museu do Ipiranga, the University of São Paulo's Museu Paulista, is a history museum near the spot where Emperor Pedro I is said to have proclaimed Brazil's independence in 1822 on the banks of the Ipiranga brook. The Italian architect Tommaso Gaudenzio Bezzi designed its building in 1884, an eclectic palace 123 metres long fronted by formal gardens and a fountain in the manner of Versailles. The museum holds a huge collection of furniture, documents and artworks, especially from Brazil's imperial era, best known among them Pedro Américo's 1888 painting Independence or Death. It closed in August 2013 for a full restoration and modernisation and reopened in September 2022 for the independence bicentennial. The gardens in front are a lovely public park, and entry is free on Wednesdays and the first Sunday of each month.
By Pedro Américo.
123 metres long.
A public park.
Ipiranga district, southeast São Paulo
On Wednesdays and the first Sunday of each month; otherwise R$30. It is closed on Mondays.