Lina Bo Bardi was born in Rome in 1914 and died in São Paulo in 1992. In 1946, Bo Bardi emigrated to Brazil from Italy and completed her first architectural work, Glass House—a square glass structure supported by thin columns—in the suburbs of Morumbi where a portion of tropical forest had been preserved. Appearing to float in the forest, it was designed to internalize the external environment and create a rapport with nature. Interested in cultural anthropology, Bo Bardi carried out research in Brazil and was immensely influenced by the local culture and state of affairs. In her most famous work, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, she succeeded in combining an exhibition space with a public forum. The vast concrete structure was lifted off the ground, leaving a large open space below used to display sculpture and hold markets or meetings, thereby transforming the spectators into active performers. The basic concept for the building’s dynamic form is a result of the combination of rationalism and Le Corbusier’s functionalism, but the inspiration she received from the easygoing lifestyle of the Brazilian people was also important. In 1964, she converted an old factory complex into a leisure center, called SESC Pompéia, which she also helped manage. Her work reflected the state of the country and life of its people, combining and rediscovering the concepts of Modernism and functionalism. Her largest contribution was instigating a discussion of architectural culture in the context of Brazil’s emerging arts community in the mid-twentieth century.