Top photo: Marcelo Martins
Installed in a fine mansion built in early 20th-century neo-classical style, the Benedito Calixto Art Gallery is an important cultural space in the city, with musical happy hour, and a variety of courses and events for children and adults, mainly at the weekend.
The house, the last one along the Santos shoreline to maintain the characteristics of the coffee boom, was a family residence, care home for the elderly, boarding house for young women and even a slum, before being declared a public utility in 1979, with restoration work commencing seven years later.
The ground floor houses the art book library and a permanent exhibition of works by Calixto, considered one of the major exponents of Brazilian painting from the beginning of the 20th century. The upper floor functions as a gallery for temporary exhibitions.