This exhibition gathers 36 works incorporated since 2020 to the MASP collection, and expresses the continuous work of the museum to develop its collection, mainly through the incorporation of works that have participated in exhibitions at the institution.

Gifts are often solicited or negotiated with museum trustees, patrons, collectors and supporters, as well as artists and gallerists. GIfts that are actually made spontaneously are rare. The process can take several months and includes the curators; assessment of the pertinence of the work to the collection as well as its relevance in the context of the artist's production, the museum’s history and the history of art, the analysis of the state of conservation and the documentation of the work, its presentation to and recommendation by the Cultural Committee, and finally the approval by the board.

One criterion that has been privileged and has become quite productive is whether the work has participated in an exhibition at MASP. In this way, with gifts, the program of temporary exhibitions leaves a more lasting mark on the museum's collection itself—something that can be seen in the exhibition Picture Gallery in Transformation on the museum’s second floor.

We express our gratitude to the artists who gifted their works to the MASP collection included in this exhibition: Adriana Varejão, Anna Bella Geiger, Bruno Baptistelli, Emanuel Nassar, José Patrício, Judy Chicago, Mateo López, Rochelle Costi, Sandra Cinto, Sérgio Sister, Sergej Jensen, Valdirlei Dias Nunes and Vik Muniz. Many thanks also to the collectors who donated works to the museum: Ana Dale, Carlos Dale Júnior and Antonio Almeida, Bruno Baptistella, Conrado and Ronie Mesquita, Gustavo Rebello, Luiz Sève, Max Perlingeiro, Paulo Kuczynski and Samuel Lacerda. We would also like to thank the galleries in São Paulo that helped us with some of these donations: Almeida & Dale Galeria de Arte, Casa Triângulo, Galeria Fortes d’Aloia Gabriel, Galeria Luisa Strina, Galeira Nara Roesler, and Galeria Millan.

Picture Gallery in Transformation: Recent Gifts is curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director, MASP; Amanda Carneiro, Assistant Curator, MASP; and Matheus de Andrade, Curatorial Assistant, MASP.