A first glance at the public sculpture of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro suggests that the strong Brasilian sense of the visual is as evident here as in graffiti and street art, and indeed in everyday life.  http://theproverbial.org/2012/07/14/a-brasilian-eye/  From the turn of last century, sculpture decorated functional public buildings …

Entrance to Mercado Central, Sao Paulo, with bandeirantes seal above

… as well as the more usual cultural buildings …

Ticket window, Teatro Municipal, Rio

… and public monuments to the great …

Bandeirante pioneer Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, Parque Trianon, Sao Paulo

… and good …

Chief Scout Lord Baden-Powell, Praca Republica, Sao Paulo

… whether or not the inscription is in Brasilian Portuguese.

Architect of Italian unity, Jardim da Luz, Sao Paulo, República Federativa do Brasil

At times, the public work is quite exotic …

Street lighting near the Arcos, Rio Centro

… while domestic sculptural decoration is sometimes more restrained …

Cast iron, Santa Teresa, Rio

… and at times less so.

Furniture at the Museu da Casa Brasileira, Sao Paulo

A country for which the national symbol is a statue …

Cristo Redentor, Morro Corcovado (‘Hunchback Hill’), Rio – largest Deco sculpture in the world

… can be expected to have a tradition of studying classical sculpture …

Sculpture Gallery, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio

… certainly as plaster copies.

Copy of Greek warrior, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, for use in art classes

Not just a public monument, domestic sculpture also turns up regularly in museums and markets.

French bronze, Museu  Nacional de Belas Artes

Religious sculpture, like this Jesus and Joseph, is widely used …

Interior of Carmelite church, an ex-Imperial chapel, Praca Quinze de Novembre, Rio

… both inside and outside …

St Francis, Catedral de Sao Sebastian, Rio

Detail, St Paul, Praca da Se, Sao Paulo

… and on a small scale as well as larger than life-size.

Devotional figures, Last Supper, including Judas, Museu da Casa Brasileira, Sao Paulo

Funerary work is also strong; graveyards are a riot of statuary. More pictures to follow. UPDATE –  see  http://theproverbial.org/2012/11/19/sao-paulo-necropolis/  and  http://theproverbial.org/2013/01/30/return-to-necropolis/

Actors’ gravesite, Necrópole São Paulo

Quasi-religious statuary can also be found …

Sphinx guarding Grand Lodge of Brasil, Rio

… as can more public celebrations of the arts …

Maestro Carlos Gomes outside the Teatro Municipal, Rio

… and of leading figures from other religions and cultures.

Praca Mahatma Gandhi, Rio. The Mahatma is a revered figure in Brasil

After helping the Portuguese to expel the French, Araribóia founded Niteroi in 1573

Civic leaders …

Faria Lima, Sao Paulo mayor from 1965 to 1969, on the road named for him

… and journalists are today’s subjects …

Statue commemorating newspaper journalist, Jardims bairro, Sao Paulo

… along with the occasional abstract art work …

Red Moon, Jardims, Sao Paulo

… but in a city of rectangular apartment blocks and offices, when the cars stop outside the sculpture museum MuBe (Museu Brasileiro da Escultura http://mube.art.br/ , these are the kinetic, highly-coloured sculptural objects they are stopping to photograph and admire.

Lamborghini showroom, Avenida Europa, Sao Paulo