PERMANENT SPACE DEDICATED TO MEMORIES AND ARCHIVES WAS INAUGURATED ON SEPTEMBER 16, WITH FREE ADMISSION
After nearly half a century of a life and career built in Brazil, Olivier Anquier has opened the doors of Arquivo Anquier, a space dedicated to memory, photography, emotions, and the stories of Brazil. Located at Praça da República, in downtown São Paulo, close to several of Olivier’s other businesses, the new space was inaugurated on September 16, 2026, expanding this territory of encounters, culture, and new experiences.
Conceived as a living space open to exhibitions, experiences, and cultural activities, Arquivo Anquier also seeks to contribute to the movement to rediscover downtown São Paulo, inviting residents and visitors to look at the region with fresh eyes, walk through its streets, and reconnect with the heart of the city.
Admission is free. The space is open Wednesday through Friday, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“Diário do Olivier: 20 Years Discovering Brazil”
The inaugural exhibition, “Diário do Olivier: 20 Years Discovering Brazil,” opened to the public on September 16, presenting 55 original photographs that invite visitors to explore different Brazilian landscapes, characters, everyday life, and traditions captured through Olivier’s sensitive perspective.
The exhibition is the first real archive to emerge from the enormous imaginary trunk of “Diário do Olivier,” the television program created and hosted by Olivier in 1998 on GNT, which traveled throughout Brazil for 20 years in search of the essence of the country and its people.
Olivier traveled through roads, cities, villages, and little-known places across a Brazil he chose to discover up close, taking millions of viewers along with him—often aboard his inseparable green Volkswagen Beetle.
More than a retrospective of his career, Arquivo Anquier was born from the desire to open these stories to the public. Images, objects, characters, encounters, discoveries, and memories preserved over decades now receive new interpretations in a space dedicated to preserving and sharing these experiences.
The First Archive: “Diário do Olivier”
The first archive, dedicated to “Diário do Olivier,” reveals a side of Olivier Anquier that, although it has accompanied him since childhood, remained largely hidden from the general public: his work as a photographer.
Photography, however, did not begin with the television program. It has been part of Olivier’s life since early childhood, initially through the eyes and cameras of his father, physician François Anquier, and remained present throughout his life in an intimate, almost discreet way, rarely displayed as part of his public career.
Now, for the first time, this personal perspective leaves his private archive and takes its place on the walls of an exhibition.
The project also follows Olivier’s first major recognition as a photographer, when he was invited to take over the entirety of issue No. 46 of C, a publication by Galeria Carcará dedicated to Brazilian authorial photography.
“This is the first time I am opening my trunk of memories, experiences, and photographs to the public. I feel that the time has come to share, in detail, the stories I experienced during these 20 years of Diário do Olivier and the fascinating places I discovered throughout Brazil. I want everyone to feel proud of our country—the country that has given me everything and to which I am deeply grateful,” says Olivier Anquier.
An Archive That Continues to Travel
Following the closing of “Diário do Olivier: 20 Years Discovering Brazil,” the photographs and objects presented in the exhibition will be auctioned through both in-person and online formats.
The initiative extends the project beyond the exhibition space, offering the public the opportunity to acquire pieces that were part of this story.
The legendary green Volkswagen Beetle will also have a special destination: part of the proceeds from its sale will be donated to the religious organization Missão Belém, connected to downtown São Paulo and dedicated to assisting and providing shelter to people experiencing vulnerability.
About Olivier Anquier
Based in Brazil since 1979, Olivier Anquier is a chef, baker, television presenter, and entrepreneur. Over nearly five decades in the country, he has built a career spanning gastronomy, television, and entrepreneurship.
A pioneer of artisanal breadmaking in Brazil, he hosted television programs for three decades, including the award-winning Diário do Olivier on GNT, and became a recognized figure in Brazilian gastronomy, encouraging millions of Brazilians to discover the joy of cooking and the art of welcoming others around the table.
At the helm of the brands Mundo Pão do Olivier and L’Entrecôte d’Olivier, Olivier maintains a particularly close relationship with downtown São Paulo, where he has lived for 20 years and where he operates part of his businesses—and now Arquivo Anquier.
With the opening of the new space, he reinforces his commitment to transforming another location in downtown São Paulo into a place dedicated to memories, culture, and the stories he has built throughout his life in Brazil.
As a resident and entrepreneur based in Praça da República, Olivier actively participates in initiatives connected to the revitalization of downtown São Paulo. He believes that investing in the region also means investing in human values and community life. In his view, downtown São Paulo should not become another “bubble” within the city, but rather a meeting point that brings all the city’s “bubbles” together.
In recognition of his contribution to the city, Olivier Anquier received the Title of Honorary Citizen of São Paulo in 2024 and the City of São Paulo Award in 2025.
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