Landscape painters have been drawn to Rio for almost 200 years, beginning with the arrival of the French artists Jean-Baptiste Debret and Nicholas Taunay. Both men established the Academia de Belas Artes and organised classes, expositions and art awards.
Their influence as neo-classicists remained strong until the turn of the century, when Brazilian artists such as Eliseu d'Angelo Visconti turned to another French influence - that of the Impressionists.
The Museu de Arte Moderna has a permanent exhibition of works by Brazilian artists, including Cândido Portinari, Brazil's most famous artist.
Museu de Arte Moderna (Museum of Modern Art)
Avenida Infante, Dom Henrique 85, Aterro - Flamengo
The Museum of Modern Art, which was inaugurated in 1958, has a very unusual history. It has a privileged downtown location on Flamengo Park on Guanabara Bay. After a disastrous fire in 1978, hundreds of people from all over the world contributed to the rebuilding of this cultural treasure and the replacement of its collections.
It currently houses approximately 1700 works, including paintings, sculptures and engravings by Brazilian and foreign artists. It also houses a specialised art library and a well-known cinemathèque that is among the most popular in town.
Museu Nacional Historico (National History Museum)
Praça Marechal Âncora, Centro
Housed in the nation’s former arsenal, this disparate but intriguing collection brings to life Brazil’s colourful history from the initial founding by Cabral through colonial times and right up to the present, with recent past depicted as carefully as the early days.
There are seven permanent collections covering the initial colonisation, the imperial era, coffee plantations, indigenous history and a complete, restored apothecary shop.
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (Museum of Fine Art)
Av. Rio Branco 199, Centro
One of Brazil’s foremost museums, the Museum of Fine Arts today hosts an extensive collection of around 16000 items. Concentrating on three specific areas, it has outstanding collections of 18th and19th century European art; Frans Posts, Brazil’s first landscape painter; and Italian Baroque paintings thought to be brought into the country by King João VI of Portugal.
This is only a small sample of the many attractions in the area. For more information, please contact the Concierge.
