Museus Castro Maya, Art museum complex in Santa Teresa and Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Museus Castro Maya comprises two separate houses in Rio de Janeiro's hillside neighborhoods that function as residences converted into museums. Each building displays paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects from various periods arranged across multiple floors and rooms.
A collector acquired these two houses in the 20th century and transformed them into centers for his personal gathering of European and Brazilian artworks. Following his death, the houses opened to the public and eventually came under government care.
The name honors Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya, the collector who shaped both buildings through his passion for art. Visitors can see how the spaces functioned as homes, with paintings displayed alongside furniture and everyday objects rather than in formal gallery rows.
The two museums are located at different sites in Rio de Janeiro and may require separate visits or trips between them. Both are accessible via winding hillside roads and allow visitors to explore between art-deco architecture and contemporary gallery spaces.
The collection holds items acquired from a major historical palace auction in the city, preserving connections to Brazil's royal past. These rare pieces tell stories about the art lovers and collectors who shaped the country more than a century ago.
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