Museums in Rio

Hello there, Portuguese fans! Are you ready to learn Portuguese online with us one more time? Today, we celebrate International Museum Day, so we brought you a brand-new Dica! We are here to show you the best museums you can find in Rio de Janeiro! We have many interesting places here to see! Museum of Tomorrow, Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Art, Niemeyer Museum, all in Rio de Janeiro! So, get your canvas ready for our Dica about Museums in Rio!

Museu do Amanhã

The Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã) is a science museum in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Indeed, it’s one of the most recent museums in Brazil, finished in 2015. Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish neo-futuristic architect, was responsible for the design! It’s located right at Rio’s downtown. The main exhibition takes visitors through five main areas. Above all, the idea is to show the past, present, and future in a participative way. It’s a mix of science, innovative design, and ecology!

Museu Histórico Nacional

The National Historical Museum (Museu Histórico Nacional) was created in 1922. It has over 287,000 items! It also includes the largest numismatic (coins and bills) collection in Latin America. The building itself was built in 1603 as the St. James of Mercy Fort. So, if you like history, coins and the army, this is your museum! It’s one of the best museums in Rio de Janeiro!

Museu Nacional de Belas Artes

The National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA) is an art museum located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It contains the largest collection of 19th-century works of art in Brazil. Despite it being only officially created in 1937, its history is much older. That’s because the museum’s collection began with the set of works of art brought by Dom João VI, in 1808. Finally, the collection expanded throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum has paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints by Brazilian and foreign artists. It also has a collection of decorative art, furniture, folk art, and a set of African art pieces.

Museu de Arte do Rio

Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) is a museum in Rio de Janeiro, opened in 2013, as part of the downtown revitalization project. Additionally, the museum received the Award of Best Construction in 2013 by the Architizer A+ Awards – the largest international awards program for architects and designers. The museum itself does not have a collection, just temporary exhibitions. Last but not least, you can follow the current exhibition through the official website.

Museum of Modern Art of Rio

The Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro (MAM) is one of the most important cultural institutions in Brazil. It is located in Parque do Flamengo, close to downtown Rio. The museum opened in 1948 and has approximately 15,000 works of art. From these, 6,600 are from its own collection and the rest on loan from private collections. In particular, the museum stands out for important works from the modern and contemporary period.

Museu da República

The Museu da República is a historical museum that has the Catete Palace as headquarters! The collection brings together nearly 9,400 items (from the 18th century to the present day). Also, the museum groups the items in 74 collections, named after personalities from republican history.

The most famous collection is the Getúlio Vargas Collection (with nearly one thousand items). The collection has donations from Vargas himself and his relatives. The main highlights are the revolver used and the pajamas worn by Getúlio Vargas on the night of his suicide.

And if you are wondering if we visit this museum during our RioLIVE! Palácio do Catete, the answer is YES!

Bônus: Niterói Contemporary Art Museum

Niterói Contemporary Art Museum is situated just outside of Rio de Janeiro city, in Niterói. The museum was inaugurated in 1996 and is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Rio de Janeiro state! Oscar Niemeyer himself designed this contemporary art museum. He is so famous most people call this the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Rio! The museum has a collection of 1,217 works from the art collector João Sattamini. This makes it the second-largest collection of contemporary art in Brazil. We have the perfect way for you to visit MAC: there is a Niterói RioLIVE! where you can enjoy the museum while learning Portuguese!

So, what did you think about our selection of the best museums in Rio de Janeiro? Which one interested you the most? Did you know Niemeyer had built a museum in Rio? Leave us in the comments!

See you in the next Dica!

Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Museum of Tomorrow
Imperial Museum of Brazil
Oscar Niemeyer Museum
CCBB Museum