Museus Castro Maya, Art museum complex in Santa Teresa and Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Museus Castro Maya consists of two separate museums in Rio de Janeiro: the Museu do Açude in Alto da Boa Vista, next to the Tijuca Forest, and the Museu da Chácara do Céu in Santa Teresa. Both are federal public museums under the Instituto Brasileiro de Museus, preserving the art collection of businessman Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya.
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 sit far apart: Museu do Açude in Alto da Boa Vista, beside the Tijuca Forest, and Museu da Chácara do Céu in Santa Teresa. Plan them as separate outings, since the routes between the hillside neighbourhoods are long. Both are federal public museums under the Instituto Brasileiro de Museus.
The father, Raymundo de Castro Maya, began the collection by buying many lots at the 1890s auction of the Paço de São Cristóvão, the former imperial palace, after the monarchy fell. Most of these pieces were later donated by his son to the Museu Imperial.
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