Niterói Contemporary Art Museum

The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum is the architectural creation of famous Latin American architect Oscar Niemeyer and one of the Brazilian city’s most recognizable landmarks. Inside the flying saucer-like building is a large collection of contemporary art – paintings, graphics, sculpture, plastic and metal structures. The basis of the museum collection is the private collection of Joan Sattamini, which consists of more than 1200 works. The famous collector collected it for more than 45 years and then donated it to the new museum. Today, the original collection has grown so large that it makes up the second largest collection of contemporary art in the country.

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Video: Niteroi Museum of Contemporary Art

Contents

Highlights

The spectacular modernist building is constructed of concrete and glass and overhangs the coastal cliff. It was erected to Niemeyer’s design under the supervision of engineer Bruno Contarini. It is noteworthy that the architect was 89 years old at the time of the project’s creation. The large-scale construction of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi took five years and was completed in 1996.

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Architect Oscar Niemeyer explained his idea as follows: “Once upon a time, a flying saucer flying over the city long ago marveled at the beauty of these places and decided to stay here forever and, after landing on this spot, laid the foundation for the Museum of Contemporary Art.”

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The museum in Niteroi is a great cultural center. It houses permanent exhibits, temporary exhibitions, video lessons, presentations, community events, and television programs.

From the entrance, guests enter a huge circular hall with a large panoramic window. From here there is an excellent view of Rio de Janeiro’s central neighborhoods, beaches and the scenic expanse of the ocean. From the museum you can see the statue of Jesus Christ standing high on a cliff and the notable Sugar Loaf Mountain, which rises above the bay in the eastern part of the city.

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Features of the architecture

The four-story building of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi rises 16 meters and the “flying saucer” is 50 meters in diameter. The giant structure is mounted on a slender 9-meter diameter leg, rests on a cylinder-shaped base and is surrounded by a swimming pool. Reflections in the water give the snow-white building lightness and weightlessness, so many people compare it to a fantastic flower.

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The museum complex has a basement, two levels and a mezzanine. The basement contains a bar, restaurant, library and a spacious conference room. To reach the entrance, visitors walk along a red curved ramp that is 98 meters long.

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Visitor Information

For tourists, the doors of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niteroi are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Children under the age of 7 can visit the museum for free.

The building has a bar and restaurant where you can relax and have lunch. On Friday and Saturday at 21.00 there are live music concerts.

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How to get there

The Niterói Museum of Contemporary Art is located on the shores of Guanabara Bay, near Alm. Benjamin Sodre. From Rio de Janeiro, it can be reached by sea ferry, which runs from the Praça XV terminal. The journey takes about 20 minutes, and the station is located about one kilometer from the museum building.

Another option is to arrive at the museum on one of the shuttle buses that run across Brazil’s longest bridge, the Rio Niteroi. If taking the #47B bus, you need to get off at the Terminal João Goulart or Praça Araribóia stop. For intercity buses, get off at the “Ingá” stop.

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