The underground galleries and iconic museums of Rio

Whether you’re seeking refuge from the humidity or solace from the rain, step inside one of these museums and let that sweet AC pump through your pores. Extend your trip or fill your itinerary with these six must-visit indoor landmarks and museums in Rio de Janeiro.

Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã)

Architecturally speaking, this museum undoubtedly has one of the most breathtaking exteriors in Rio. It looks somewhat like a giant cicada bug, but that’s open to your personal interpretation. The Museum of Tomorrow is a science museum in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was designed by Spanish neofuturistic architect Santiago Calatrava, and presents itself as a “new” kind of Science Museum. What this means is more interactive exhibits.

After entering, you’ll be awed by a giant world globe spinning around from the rooftop. However, the rest of the museum we found a bit of a miss due to the very poor graphic design. It was as if we’d entered any one of our highschool classrooms, complete with corny posters and mismatched stock photography.

It’s still worth a visit for the exterior architecture and a few exhibits inside that showcase unique shelter design.

Severo 172

Severo 172 is the poster child of an underground art gallery, offering a new perspective on Brazilian art. Grunge, urban, and street styled are adjectives to keep handy while you pace through the gallery, set in a warehouse on the outer skirts of town. The gallery focuses on exhibiting graffiti artists, who sell their works at considerably high rates – a testament to the growth of this genre in recent history. Severo 172 is well worth a trip outside the tourist bubble if you’d like a taste of today’s Brazilian street art culture.

Believe it or not, I can actually draw.

— Jean-Michel Basquiat

Cultural Center of the Bank of Brazil

A welcomed respite from high humidity, the CCBB cranks the air conditioning. This is a grand old Portuguese Art Deco style building that’s been restored for the public. Inside is a book store, movie theatre, restaurant, coffee shop, tearoom, and art exhibits. With rotating exhibits throughout the year, you’re sure to catch some very diverse cultural exhibitions, ranging from Miles Davis to Brazilian street art.

During our trip, we were lucky to see work from Jean-Michel Basquiat, an American artist who decorated the Lower East Side of Manhattan with graffiti art in the 1970’s, channeling the hip hop, punk, and street art cultures of the time. The exhibit included an interactive are where you could trace a risen outline of his art with your hands, and it’d appear on screen in front of you in the appropriate colors of the painting. Pretty cool.

If you’re exploring downtown already, it’s just a few minutes walk away from the Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã) and well worth the trip!

Niterói Contemporary Art Museum

The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, also known as the MAC, was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Completed in 1996, this well-known saucer-shaped structure sits cliffside in the city of Niterói. The aesthetic of the architecture is signature to Niemeyer – simple, yet magnificent.

You’ll notice we’re talking about the architecture of the Museum more than what’s inside…because there’s not a lot inside, not even aliens. So, don’t go if you want to be floored by an art gallery, but do go to admire the building as an architectural work of art.

Museum of Art (Museu de Arte do Rio MAR)

Featuring iconic artists of the Carioca culture, the national symbol of samba, and feminists perspectives – the MAR stays fresh with it’s exhibits throughout the year.