Art in Brazil

[Karl-G]

Help, please?

 

A friend of mine is going to Brazil for a couple of months and is interested in art. Can you tell me the best museums in Rio and Sao Paulo? What other museums or locations in the country would you recommend for art? Ouro Preto? Minas Gerais? How easy or difficult is it to get there? Is Brasilia worth going to as a separate destination. Any special treasures you know of?

 

Thank you.

[trilingual]

There are good guide books for Brazil that go into detail about the various art museums. However, in Rio the best are probably the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes and the Museum of Modern Art (MAM). There are frequently fine special exhibits at the Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil and the Paço Imperial, among others. There are a number of smaller museums and private collections worth seeing, mentioned in the guidebooks. In SP the major museums are MASP and the Pinacoteca do Estado, which has a fine collection of 19th Century Brazilian art. There are numerous galleries and smaller museums, again covered in the guidebooks. Any and all of the baroque colonial towns like Ouro Preto are well worth visiting by art lovers. Parati is fun -- it's an old colonial town south of Rio and has many good quality art galleries. Your friend will have plenty to do in Brazil if he's interested in art.

[EZEtoGRU]

I agree with Trilingual's comments. The only museum I am personally familiar with is the MASP in Sao Paulo. Certainly a "must see" for your art-loving friend. As far as Brasilia goes, I have only changed planes at the airport.....so I cannot say I really know it. I am told there is not too much going on. However, if your friend is interested in more modern architecture and modern city planning, it may be worth visiting for a day or two....certainly no more. The city was born from nothing in the late 50's.

[+ Axiom2001]

Trilingual gave some salient suggestions, but in terms of guide books, I'd recommend your obtaining a copy of DK EYEWITNESS TRAVEL:BRAZIL. Its motto is: "The guides that show you what others only tell." Also, go to http://www.Fodors.com to see what's available at that site. I have a copy of the recommended guide as well have used the recommended website.

 

In Rio de janeiro I've gone to the museums to which Tri alluded. ...excellent, to say the least. ...went to a folk arts museo as well as to two or three in Santa Teresa. ...sorry I cannot remember the names. If I find them I shall definitely return to this thread!

[Guest AtlantaWalt]

One museum that I've always enjoyed in the Catete/Flamingo area is "Museu Folclorico Edson Carneiro" next to the Palacio Catete. Fascinating and colorful look at folk art in Brazil. It is a great place to spend an hour or two.

It was closed for renovation when I was last in Rio about a year ago, but looking at the website, I believe it has reopened. See website below

 

http://www.cnfcp.gov.br/english/index.php