São Paulo

2025
archival print/dibond/white frame
44.8-59 inches, (edition 5 + 2 a.p.)

Edifício Itália and Edifício Copan are two iconic skyscrapers in São Paulo, Brazil, embodying the city’s diversity and modernist ambition. With its sleek, functional lines and a height of 165 meters, Edifício Itália is one of São Paulo’s tallest buildings. Completed in 1965, it was designed by Brazilian architect Franz Heep, who was influenced by European modernist principles. This slender tower, featuring a concrete grid structure, houses offices, cultural institutions, and the renowned Terraco Itália restaurant, offering a panoramic view of the sprawling city. Edifício Itália exudes formal elegance and symbolizes São Paulo’s economic boom in the second half of the 20th century.

In contrast to Edifício Itália’s rigid verticality, Edifício Copan rises as a curving concrete giant. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and completed in 1966, this iconic building captures the sensuality and dynamism of Brazilian modernist architecture. With its organic S-shape and horizontal rhythm, it reflects the movement and energy of São Paulo’s vibrant urban landscape. More than just an architectural masterpiece, Copan is a microcosm of the city, containing over 1,000 apartments, shops, and offices, making it one of the largest residential buildings in the world. It symbolizes São Paulo’s social mix and vitality, where different social classes and lifestyles merge within a single architectural structure.

Both buildings represent São Paulo’s modernism in their own way: Edifício Itália as a formal architectural landmark and Copan as a playful, organic interpretation of modern urban living. Together, they tell the story of a city in constant renewal, redefining its identity between tradition and modernity. In 2019, Hans Wilschut captured Edifício Copan in his work ‘Context’.