The aim propouse of this work is to understand the public image of Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS) based on the analysis of the editorial projects of the magazines Serrote and ZUM. Realizing the social organization as a space of struggle for distinct capitals, this work uses the concepts of Bourdieu to explain the strategies of reconversion of capital operated by the Moreira Salles´s family. The articulation of methods of reconversion of economic capital into symbolic capital functions as a way of gaining prestige and distinction in several socially valued fields. Thus, this work proposes a dive in the history of the family so that it is understood the realization of investments in cultural patrimonies that culminate, among many projects, in the project of the cultural institute. The IMS consists of the organization of historical collections, the constitution of editorial projects and other activities linked to the preservation of the Brazilian memory. It is possible to notice that the editorial projects of the magazines count on processes that go beyond the treatment given to the text to be published, conceiving also in activities involved in the relationship between editors and designers, the format in which they are constituted, the choice of paper, in sum, aspects that together help in understanding the dynamics of how magazines are configured and put into circulation. The results demonstrate that Serrote and ZUM can be understood as an IMS strategy to achieve a more accessible public image, different from the one it established when focusing on the preservation of collections. By fostering contemporary debates, moving away from the historical issues that usually permeate the institutional sectors established in their physical spaces, the magazines help IMS to move within the social structure and set up a new reputation in the field of culture and national public debate.