Brazil Tours, gone wild

Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art has more than 4,000 pieces in its collections of beautiful paintings. When you spend the day here you will be immersed it the beauty of the pieces. Learn about the artists and admire the talents of these most awesome artists. Then stop in the gift shop and look around.

Rio's Museum of Modern Art was founded in 1948 by a group of art enthusiasts headed by Raimundo Castro Maia (see Museu do Acude and Chacara do Ceu). In 1958 it was transferred to its permanent headquarters. It is impossible to miss the impressive main building, designed by architect Affonso Reidy. It stands right in the heart of Flamengo Park, surrounded by gardens planned by Brazil's quintessential landscape designer Burle Marx. MAM has a very active role in Rio's cultural scene, and influenced several generations of Brazilian artists.

A major contribution was the Gilberto Chateubriand collection with over 4,000 pieces. It is also under the care of MAM, and can be seen in the permanent exhibition. An interesting program of art shows and exhibitions keep the museum as an excellent alternative throughout the year. Just to give you an idea, the sculptures by Camille Claudel, in 1998, attracted 120,000 people.

Another major attraction is the film collection (Cinemateca do MAM), one of the best in Latin America with over 12,000 titles including some rarities. There are sessions and festivals open for the general public, with Brazilian and foreign cult movies that are not normally shown in the commercial circuit.

Art workshops are held at the Oficina da Gravura. Among the exhibitions planned for this year: Sculpture in MAM's International Collection, with pieces from Rodin to Brancusi (April 30-May 24); From Modernism to Neoconcrete, with top Brazilian artists (May 7-24). Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 12 noon to 6 p.m. Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 - Parque do Flamengo.