Tattoo Museum Brazil, in São Paulo

Have you visited the Museu Tattoo Brasil yet? If not, don't miss this opportunity.

Sharing the space with one of the studios of the renowned Polaco, is the Brazil Tattoo Museumon 24 de Maio Street. Tattoo artist Elcio Sespede (aka Polaco) got tired of keeping his treasure in boxes and decided to create a museum to encourage reflection and spread the culture of tattoos.

Tattoo artist and collector of pieces related to his profession, Polish founded the museum about the millenary art of tattoos in 2004. With more than 460 pieces, among pictures, photos, sculptures, replicas and even old machines and equipment, including the first tattooist in Brazil, the Lucky Tattoothat we have already talked about here on BlendUp.

Some of the highlights are the paintings and equipment of the first tattoo artist to arrive in Brazil: Lucky Tattoo, in 1959, where he started his work, bringing the electric machines and inks from Denmark.
Another highlight is the collection of tattoo machines that were found in old Russian prisons and photographs of tattooed mummies.

Polaco, who has more than 30 years of experience, followed closely the evolution of tattooing in Brazil, seeing the difficulty of accepting the meanings of this millennial form of expression.

In the beginning there was no equipment and we had to improvise. I tried with record player motors, shavers, and sewing needles. Paint, then, not to mention?

His first clients were punk tribes, gangs like the Bald Boys of Suburbia, and prostitutes. There was a lot of prejudice against tattooed people:

They even made the sign of the cross when we entered the places, says Polaco.

To visit the museum you need to make an appointment, because the visits are guided, with several explanations about the history of tattoos in the country.

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Address and operation of the Tattoo Museum

Rua 24 de Maio, 225 ? 1º floor ? São Paulo.
Business hours: Monday to Friday, from 10am to 7pm. Saturdays, from 8am to 1pm. Not open on Sundays. It is necessary to schedule a visit in advance. Close to the República subway station. Free of charge.

Video of the museum visit

Check below the video created by the channel Andando Por SP that shows a little bit of the museum: