The Eva Klabin Foundation is the epitome of Brazilian wealth and culture.

The Eva Klabin Foundation, one of Rio de Janeiro’s house museums, is located on one of the most beautiful lakes in the city. The museum owns a collection of of antiques, family memorabilia, chinese sculptures and porcelain that is more extensive than in any other house museum in the city. Formerly the home of the foundation’s founder Eva Klabin, the Eva Klabin Foundation is within walking distance of the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Also known as the Lagoon, the lake is linked to the sea by the Jardim de Alah canal. In addition to the Eva Klabin Foundation, the area also boasts many parks, a heliport, jogging and bicycle paths, and an outdoor food court.

The home, which was built in 1931 was purchased by Klabin and her husband in 1952. It was actually one of the first homes to occupy the neighborhood around the newly revitalized lagoon. Shortly after the purchase of the house, Klabin and her husband hired Gaetano Minnucci, a Roman architect to redesign both the exterior and interior of the home. It was believed that she actually planned to demolish the existing residence and rebuild a classic palatial estate. That plan, however, never came to fruition and instead in the early 1960’s, the widowed Klabin renovated the entire house. It was believed she needed the extra room for her ever growing collection of artifacts.

Completed by an engineering firm based in Rio de Janeiro, the renovation actually lasted seven years, during which Klabin lived instead in a beachfront apartment that she also owned. It is said that Klabin was completely immersed in the project and used only the finest materials available at the time. Last minute changes were common, as Klabin made sure that every single item was exactly the way she wanted it. Klabin returned to her home in 1967 and the house became a showpiece for one of Rio de Janeiro’s most popular hostesses, often inviting small groups in to tour the house and view her collections.

Klabin apparently began collecting clasical art pieces as a young girl and continued to do so right up until her death. The way in which the items were collected, in fact, seemed to suggest that the museum had been her goal all along. Klabin acquired the majority of the items from Brazilian auction houses, antique shops and private individuals.

She traveled extensively in search of new treasures as well to Rome, Hong Kong, New York, Barcelona, Madrid, Vienna, Zurich and London to just name a few of her favorite cities. Klabin added to the collection regularly but the additions were more often than not made one at time rather than in bulk. In fact, the many years of her life were often broken up into periods of time in which she would concentrate on building a specific collection.

In the sixties and seventies, it seems, however, that she devoted her time to filling in any gaps in her collections, making sure each was as complete as it could be.

It is believed that the concept of the foundation originated around the time that Klabin moved back into her newly renovated home and in the 1980’s, she began meeting with experts to catalogue and inventory her treasures. She painstakingly researched individual pieces and waded into the legalities of setting up her foundation. Each room in the house in which the collection is displayed was named by Klabin herself. The Eva Klabin Foundation became official in 1990 just a year before it’s founder passed away. Upon her death, Klabin bequeathed her legacy to the City of Rio de Janeiro. Four years later on August 22, 1995 – the Eva Klabin Foundation was officially open to the public. The Minister of Culture, Francisco Weffort presided at the event. The responsibilites of the foundation were to create and maintain the museum as well as organize artistic, historical and cultural activities.

Featured collections at the museum include an Egyptian Collection, a Greco-a Roman Collection, an Italian Collection, a French Collection, an English Collection, a Flemish and a Dutch Collection, an Oriental Collection, and a Pre-Colombian Collection. The Applied Art Collection contains over 1,000 items that span four continents including America, Africa, Asia and Europe. It is believed that this collection is one of the most important classic art exhibits in all of Brazil.