The 'If I were Portinari...' exhibition was part of the 'Portinari in prisons' project, which took place in 1999 in two prisons in Rio de Janeiro - the Lemos de Brito Penitentiary and the Hélio Gomes Prison - and remained in each institution for a week. The exhibition was also accompanied by workshops in which inmates and their families took part, which strengthened family ties. This was the first experience of its kind to be taken to a prison.
