Museu da Chácara do Céu, Art museum in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Museu da Chácara do Céu is an art museum in Santa Teresa housing collections of European and Brazilian works in a modernist building. The structure sits on a hillside overlooking Guanabara Bay, with manicured gardens surrounding the property that you can walk through.
The building started as a private residence but became a public museum in 1972 after a foundation was established a decade earlier. This transformation allowed the collection to be shared with the wider public.
Two rooms retain their original furnishings from the time when this was a private residence, displaying pieces that show how an art collector lived and displayed his acquisitions. Walking through these spaces gives you a sense of how someone surrounded themselves with art as part of daily life.
The museum sits in a residential neighborhood on a hillside, so comfortable shoes are recommended if you want to explore the surrounding area. Inside, you will find exhibition spaces spread across multiple levels along with a library holding historical documents.
The collection includes a Brasiliana section with historical maps and 19th-century prints showing Brazilian landscapes and traditional ways of life. These documents offer a rare view of Brazil from two centuries ago as seen through both European and local perspectives.
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