Museu Nacional De Belas Artes
Museu Nacional De Belas Artes
Museu Nacional De Belas Artes
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
About
Inside this French Renaissance-style building is a collection of paintings by Brazil's finest contemporary artists as well as an impressive array of folk and African art.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Centro
Downtown Rio is the place where this city was born. With modern skyscrapers sharing space with historical buildings and landmarks, this neighbourhood is living proof that the old and the new can live together harmoniously. As you would expect, downtown is where all major companies house their offices. However, the region isn’t restricted to businesses. Gems such like the “Paço Imperial,” which is a cultural centre that used to serve as a residence for governors of Brazil, can be found here. Pedra do Sal, a Monday night street party, is also in this neighbourhood. This landmark is the birthplace of samba and is famous for its “roda de sambas” (“dance circles”). Stop in for one and get closer to discovering where Brazilian happiness comes from.
How to get there
- Cinelândia • 3 min walk
- Carioca • 4 min walk
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2,070 within 3 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
961 reviews
Excellent
552
Very good
302
Average
86
Poor
15
Terrible
6
Vincent M
New Orleans, LA2,256 contributions
Jun 2015 • Solo
Most of the world’s great art museums have no Brazilian works on display, though Brazilian art is world class. This may simply be another case of art being grabbed up by local collectors and museums before anyone else can get their hands on it: if you want to see Renaissance, go to the Uffizi; if you want Dutch masters, go to the Rijksmuseum, etc. Well, if you want great Brazilian art, come here.
Belas Artes has a fair amount of pre-19th C. European works. In 1807, the Portuguese royal family boarded an armada three days before Napoleon’s troops took Lisbon. Maria I lost her entire army, but saved her entire fleet. The saving of her art collection was comme ci comme ca: much of it was lost, but the court did take thousands of the finest works with them, so they wouldn’t be lost to the French. This cunning scheme didn’t entirely work out as planned: they were all lost to the Brazilians instead, and now are in this museum’s collection.
The Brazilian royals welcomed French artists fleeing Europe after Waterloo. The Frenchies were used to painting for an emperor and thought doing so for a mere king was tantamount to demotion; plus which, as confirmed wine-drinkers, their tastes didn’t extend to the Bourbons. This impacted what you see here in several ways: (1) many of the early 19th century works in Brazil were done by French artists; (2) Brazilian artists ever since have been heavily influenced by French artistic trends; and (3) Brazil started its own academy of fine arts in Rio, in imitation of the academy in Paris which had already been in business for 150 years. This Academia Imperial wound up with both the royal art collection, and a spiffy new building modeled on the Louvre. Alas, the empire fell in a coup, and both collection and building were given to a brand-new museum: the Belas Artes. The art academy itself is now merely one department of the local Federal University. Just my opinion, but if going from Imperial academician to Royal academician is a step down, going from Imperial academician to a professorship at a state-run college has got to be like falling off the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
Two halls of the museum are lined with cheap modern copies of classical statues. If you’ve never actually seen original Apollos and Aphrodites, you might be interested. But if you have, waste no time finding the nearest door and getting to the good stuff. Some of this will be in temporary exhibits; a current one on the lifelong work of Joao Turin includes dozens of felines in powerful poses (see Joao Turin Lioness photo). Belas Artes does have a collection of colonial art, but given the spirit of colonial times, Brazil’s best colonial art is really found inside its Baroque churches. But the galleries housing 19th century art should hook you for hours. This is the very best collection of Brazilian art in the world, with one masterpiece after another.
There are portraits of both emperors, and of members of the court. There are landscapes, seascapes, and paintings of Rio back when it really was the Marvelous City. If you’ve visited Sao Francisco Church on Santo Antonio Hill and surveyed the surrounding skyscrapers, you’ll be amazed at the vista that terrace had 150 years ago (see View of Rio from Santo Antonio photo). If you’ve been down to the old cathedral and Paco Imperial, you’ll be astonished at how beautiful the street they’re on was in 1907 (see View of Old Primeiro de Marco photo).
The emperors commissioned immense panoramic paintings of heroic events. Three memorable battles are involved. The first is the Battle of Avia, in which the Brazilians crushed the Paraguayans, by Pedro Americo (see Americo Battle of Avai photo). The second is the Battle of Guararapes, in which the Portuguese decisively defeated the Dutch (which is why Recife is now in Brazil), by Victor Meirelles (see Meirelles Guararapes photo). The third is the Battle of Americo vs Meirelles; they loathed each other, and at one point Meirelles was publicly accused of plagiarizing Americo’s Avai when he painted Guararapes. Ultimately Americo wound up on top: he was elected to the National Assembly and he died internationally honored. Meirelles spent the last years of the empire painting a gigantic panorama of Rio de Janeiro as seen from Santo Antonio, which won first prize in the Paris Exposition. But he was dismissed from the Academy and died in poverty. About the only thing he had left was his giant panorama of Rio, but the huge canvas was put into storage for years, left to rot, and finally dumped into the bay; only a partial study of it survives. I would dearly have liked to have seen that painting.
Another Meirelles’ masterpiece sparked my curiosity for a totally different reason: his First Mass in Brazil. The museum has two First Masses: Meirelles’ and another, gigantic one by the 20th century neo-realist Candido Portinari (see Portinari First Mass in Brazil photo). I saw the modern one first, and was surprised to find almost a dozen folks kneeling in front of it, in either religious or artistic fervor. Upstairs at Meirelles’ painting of the very same mass, there wasn’t a soul kneeling. Go figure. My best guess is that one person knelt down in rapture first, and then everybody else copy-catted thinking that’s what you’re supposed to do in an art museum.
The museum has other Americo masterpieces, including David and Abisag, and Judith and Holofernes (Judith uses a machete that looks more Brazilian than Israelite). There’s an exotic portrait of an Arab playing an upright violin with a bow, with Oriental carpets hanging in the background. Yes, yes, I know, a violin, not a kamanjah or rababa, but who am I to make a lyre out of him? (see Americo Arabic Fiddler photo). I think Americo’s best work here is the Joan of Arc: he shows her as a peasant girl at the instant she is hearing voices; her eyes are both haunted and haunting, an incredible work (see Americo Joan of Arc photo).
The museum also has 19th C masterpieces by less famous artists, such as “Bad News” by Rodoldo Amoeda: the young lady who just received the news has crushed the letter in her fist; from the look in her eyes, this would appear to be exceedingly bad news for the cad who sent it, if she ever gets her hands around his miserable throat (see Amoeda Bad News photo) Also here is Amoeda’s “Last Tamoio” an example of romantic Indianism at its best. A painting by Henrique Bernardelli, “Messalina” is distilled essence of dissolution (see Bernardelli Messalina photo). One of the most remarkable paintings is Modesto Brocos’ Redemption of Ham. Brocos had done illustrations for a Brazilian satirical magazine; their caustic ink must have rubbed off on him. The painting shows a young man sitting in the doorway of a humble abode, smiling at his wife, who is holding their baby on her lap and pointing out her own mother, the babe’s grandmother, who has her hands and face raised and is obviously praising the Lord for this child. Now that might not sound like a caustic commentary on Brazilian society, and if you take a quick glance and head to the next painting, you might not “get” the painting’s title. Brocos is satirizing the Brazilian social process called blanqueamiento: the husband is white, the wife mulatto, her mother coffee black, and the baby pearly white (see Brocos Redemption of Ham photo). This particular bit of rapier wit landed Brocos in serious hot water with a scandalized public, but it is a masterpiece, as well as his most (in)famous work, and has earned its place in the foremost gallery of Brazilian art on earth.
Like the Uffizi or Rijksmuseum, you need to spend time at the Belas Artes to absorb it all. 1-2 hours might give you time to hurry through every gallery, including temporary shows, but not time to stop, really look and reflect. If you love art, plan a minimum of four hours, but get here when they open at 1000, and leave your plans flexible, so you can stay longer if you like. If you’re on a tight schedule, or if your eyes always begin to glaze over after two hours in any art museum, start at and focus on the 19th century collection—you’ll be seeing the museum’s strong suit.
Belas Artes has a fair amount of pre-19th C. European works. In 1807, the Portuguese royal family boarded an armada three days before Napoleon’s troops took Lisbon. Maria I lost her entire army, but saved her entire fleet. The saving of her art collection was comme ci comme ca: much of it was lost, but the court did take thousands of the finest works with them, so they wouldn’t be lost to the French. This cunning scheme didn’t entirely work out as planned: they were all lost to the Brazilians instead, and now are in this museum’s collection.
The Brazilian royals welcomed French artists fleeing Europe after Waterloo. The Frenchies were used to painting for an emperor and thought doing so for a mere king was tantamount to demotion; plus which, as confirmed wine-drinkers, their tastes didn’t extend to the Bourbons. This impacted what you see here in several ways: (1) many of the early 19th century works in Brazil were done by French artists; (2) Brazilian artists ever since have been heavily influenced by French artistic trends; and (3) Brazil started its own academy of fine arts in Rio, in imitation of the academy in Paris which had already been in business for 150 years. This Academia Imperial wound up with both the royal art collection, and a spiffy new building modeled on the Louvre. Alas, the empire fell in a coup, and both collection and building were given to a brand-new museum: the Belas Artes. The art academy itself is now merely one department of the local Federal University. Just my opinion, but if going from Imperial academician to Royal academician is a step down, going from Imperial academician to a professorship at a state-run college has got to be like falling off the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
Two halls of the museum are lined with cheap modern copies of classical statues. If you’ve never actually seen original Apollos and Aphrodites, you might be interested. But if you have, waste no time finding the nearest door and getting to the good stuff. Some of this will be in temporary exhibits; a current one on the lifelong work of Joao Turin includes dozens of felines in powerful poses (see Joao Turin Lioness photo). Belas Artes does have a collection of colonial art, but given the spirit of colonial times, Brazil’s best colonial art is really found inside its Baroque churches. But the galleries housing 19th century art should hook you for hours. This is the very best collection of Brazilian art in the world, with one masterpiece after another.
There are portraits of both emperors, and of members of the court. There are landscapes, seascapes, and paintings of Rio back when it really was the Marvelous City. If you’ve visited Sao Francisco Church on Santo Antonio Hill and surveyed the surrounding skyscrapers, you’ll be amazed at the vista that terrace had 150 years ago (see View of Rio from Santo Antonio photo). If you’ve been down to the old cathedral and Paco Imperial, you’ll be astonished at how beautiful the street they’re on was in 1907 (see View of Old Primeiro de Marco photo).
The emperors commissioned immense panoramic paintings of heroic events. Three memorable battles are involved. The first is the Battle of Avia, in which the Brazilians crushed the Paraguayans, by Pedro Americo (see Americo Battle of Avai photo). The second is the Battle of Guararapes, in which the Portuguese decisively defeated the Dutch (which is why Recife is now in Brazil), by Victor Meirelles (see Meirelles Guararapes photo). The third is the Battle of Americo vs Meirelles; they loathed each other, and at one point Meirelles was publicly accused of plagiarizing Americo’s Avai when he painted Guararapes. Ultimately Americo wound up on top: he was elected to the National Assembly and he died internationally honored. Meirelles spent the last years of the empire painting a gigantic panorama of Rio de Janeiro as seen from Santo Antonio, which won first prize in the Paris Exposition. But he was dismissed from the Academy and died in poverty. About the only thing he had left was his giant panorama of Rio, but the huge canvas was put into storage for years, left to rot, and finally dumped into the bay; only a partial study of it survives. I would dearly have liked to have seen that painting.
Another Meirelles’ masterpiece sparked my curiosity for a totally different reason: his First Mass in Brazil. The museum has two First Masses: Meirelles’ and another, gigantic one by the 20th century neo-realist Candido Portinari (see Portinari First Mass in Brazil photo). I saw the modern one first, and was surprised to find almost a dozen folks kneeling in front of it, in either religious or artistic fervor. Upstairs at Meirelles’ painting of the very same mass, there wasn’t a soul kneeling. Go figure. My best guess is that one person knelt down in rapture first, and then everybody else copy-catted thinking that’s what you’re supposed to do in an art museum.
The museum has other Americo masterpieces, including David and Abisag, and Judith and Holofernes (Judith uses a machete that looks more Brazilian than Israelite). There’s an exotic portrait of an Arab playing an upright violin with a bow, with Oriental carpets hanging in the background. Yes, yes, I know, a violin, not a kamanjah or rababa, but who am I to make a lyre out of him? (see Americo Arabic Fiddler photo). I think Americo’s best work here is the Joan of Arc: he shows her as a peasant girl at the instant she is hearing voices; her eyes are both haunted and haunting, an incredible work (see Americo Joan of Arc photo).
The museum also has 19th C masterpieces by less famous artists, such as “Bad News” by Rodoldo Amoeda: the young lady who just received the news has crushed the letter in her fist; from the look in her eyes, this would appear to be exceedingly bad news for the cad who sent it, if she ever gets her hands around his miserable throat (see Amoeda Bad News photo) Also here is Amoeda’s “Last Tamoio” an example of romantic Indianism at its best. A painting by Henrique Bernardelli, “Messalina” is distilled essence of dissolution (see Bernardelli Messalina photo). One of the most remarkable paintings is Modesto Brocos’ Redemption of Ham. Brocos had done illustrations for a Brazilian satirical magazine; their caustic ink must have rubbed off on him. The painting shows a young man sitting in the doorway of a humble abode, smiling at his wife, who is holding their baby on her lap and pointing out her own mother, the babe’s grandmother, who has her hands and face raised and is obviously praising the Lord for this child. Now that might not sound like a caustic commentary on Brazilian society, and if you take a quick glance and head to the next painting, you might not “get” the painting’s title. Brocos is satirizing the Brazilian social process called blanqueamiento: the husband is white, the wife mulatto, her mother coffee black, and the baby pearly white (see Brocos Redemption of Ham photo). This particular bit of rapier wit landed Brocos in serious hot water with a scandalized public, but it is a masterpiece, as well as his most (in)famous work, and has earned its place in the foremost gallery of Brazilian art on earth.
Like the Uffizi or Rijksmuseum, you need to spend time at the Belas Artes to absorb it all. 1-2 hours might give you time to hurry through every gallery, including temporary shows, but not time to stop, really look and reflect. If you love art, plan a minimum of four hours, but get here when they open at 1000, and leave your plans flexible, so you can stay longer if you like. If you’re on a tight schedule, or if your eyes always begin to glaze over after two hours in any art museum, start at and focus on the 19th century collection—you’ll be seeing the museum’s strong suit.
Written July 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dawnimac
Caribbean333 contributions
Dec 2014 • Friends
After our visit to the Theatro Municipal we stepped across the road to the Museu Nacional, which was built to resemble the Louvre in Paris - not the shape of the roof. There was a fine room of modern art and a gallery of statues, most of which were copies of items seen in the Louvre. However the crowning glory of this museum is its collection of the works of Portinari, one of Brazil's most famous artists, of whose works I had heard and never seen. A very worthwhile visit and a cool oasis in the heat of Rio.
Written February 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SteveS1970
Coventry, UK8,901 contributions
Mar 2013 • Couples
We came here on a rainy day in Rio (it does happen) and were surprised by such a vast collection of Brazilian art. The staff at the door were very helpful and told us that we needed to get a ticket, although it is free they need to know the number of visits. The copies of statues from the Louvre and other respected art museums was interesting but the main sites were on the second floor. It seems that there is a specific route that the guards want you to take and we found no point in arguing. The top floor has some modern art on it, which is not to my taste, but some of the larger oil on canvas paintings are spectacular, especially the "Battle of Avai" which I had read about in a previous review and was worried I would miss. It was nice to see paintings in well known artistic styles painted by relatively unknown (Brazilian) painters. Unfortunately they did not sell a guide book.
Written April 8, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dakar74
320 contributions
Jul 2019 • Solo
Across the street from Theatro Municipal, the Museum's exhibits include Vitor Meirelles, Pedro Americo, Almeida Junior, Amoedo and many others. Though the XX c. is poorly represented, the Museum features one entire room of Portinaris, including his First Mass, in stark contrast with Meirelles' homonimous painting.
Great place to spend one afternoon if Brazilian art and history in art representations are of interest.
Great place to spend one afternoon if Brazilian art and history in art representations are of interest.
Written July 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlejandroLB
Olivos, Argentina46 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
We were deeply impressed by the exiguous quantity of important paintings.
There are only two paintings by Tarsila do Amaral. The best: the Cavalcanti triptych.
There are only two paintings by Tarsila do Amaral. The best: the Cavalcanti triptych.
Written February 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ahd0yle
Montclair, NJ13 contributions
Aug 2016
I am sorry to give the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes a poor review. I
really did find it underwhelming. It gave me a poor impression of
Brazilian Art until I vsited the Museo de Arte do Rio for the special
exibit 'A Cor do Brasil' (The Color of Brazil) which showcased world
class Braziliian art from the colonial period to the present day.
century. If you have limited time I would chose some of the other
great Rio museums over this one.
really did find it underwhelming. It gave me a poor impression of
Brazilian Art until I vsited the Museo de Arte do Rio for the special
exibit 'A Cor do Brasil' (The Color of Brazil) which showcased world
class Braziliian art from the colonial period to the present day.
century. If you have limited time I would chose some of the other
great Rio museums over this one.
Written January 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Planwiz
Newark11 contributions
Feb 2016 • Couples
The artwork in this museum is excellent and well arranged in an historic building (historic school of arts) Unfortunately the exhibition rooms are not temperature or humidity controlled. The second floor is so hot that I almost felt I am fainting when I got up there. When talking to an employee about the temperature condition she said that the city has not utilized the existing and working air condition for the last two years due to energy cost reasons and that she is very concerned about how this will damage the very valuable art. The room temperature condition makes the visit of this museum less enjoyable and as such I rate this visit with only three starts, the art work and the building would still deserve four to five stars.
Written February 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arturo V
25 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
This is an outstanding museum of art. You can easily spend a day there. You can see the wealth of Rio when it was the capital of Brasil for centuries. And it is very inexpensive.
Written January 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Evelyn B
Maracaibo, Venezuela253 contributions
Jan 2015 • Friends
In the middle of this incredibly hot summer it was perfect to go to the Museu de Belas Artes! The bottom floor has several expositions which were interesting but the most impressive part was the upper level, beautiful paintings from brazilian artists... There is normally a fee to enter but this month it's FREE!
Written January 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CORNELIAGL
IRELAND29 contributions
May 2014 • Solo
This neo classical style museum can be found at the heart of the economic zone of Rio. Some beautiful classical paintings depict graphically the battles & the history of Brazil in the past centuries. Just going through its vast rooms I realised that the country was not just influenced by the Portuguese but very much by the French. If you want to find out a bit about the 'melange' of this great nation's past & not just leave this city just after a few drinks of caipirinha & lying about on the beach, then come & pay a visit to this place.
Written January 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bom dia meu pai tem um quadro a mas de trinta anos do artista Manuel Quintana Castilho, como posso ter uma avaliação .
Written September 16, 2015
Ola Fabio,fui ao Google e coloquei = avaliação de obras de arte.
Apareceram vários sites onde vc certamente encontrará uma resposta como proceder para resolver sua dúvida quanto ao valor do quadro em questão.
Sucesso, abraço
Maria Beatriz
Written September 16, 2015
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