Museum sights in The Southeast
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Pinacoteca do Estado
This elegant neoclassical Pinacoteca do Estado museum houses an excellent collection of Brazilian - and especially Paulista - art from the 19th century to present, including works by big names such as Portinari and Di Cavalcanti. Extensive renovations have made it a pleasant place to while away a rainy afternoon, and there is an attractive café that spills out into the adjacent Parque da Luz.
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Museu da Língua Portuguesa
Half of Estação da Luz has been given over to this recently inaugurated Museu da Língua Portuguesa museum, with fascinating permanent exhibits documenting the rise of the Brazilian language as distinct from European Portuguese, as well as creative temporary installations celebrating Brazilian literature. Note, though, that all accompanying signs are in Portuguese only.
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Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto
The free Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto, southwest of Savassi, features a renovated colonial farmhouse, the solitary remnant of Curral del Rey, the rural village destroyed in the 1890s to make room for Belo. There are some fascinating historical photos and other bric-a-brac.
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Museu de Arte Sacra
The best of its kind in Brazil, the Museu de Arte Sacra includes works by renowned 18th-century sculptor Antônio Aleijadinho, along with some 2000 other ecclesiastical works from the 17th to 20th centuries. The museum is housed in the 18th-century Luz monastery, which is one of São Paulo's best-preserved buildings of the period and also a fine example of Portuguese colonial architecture.
The best of its kind in Brazil, this museum includes works by renowned 18th-century sculptor Aleijadinho along with some 2,000 other ecclesiastical works spanning the period from the 17th to 20th centuries.
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Museu da Imigração Japonesa
This modest but fascinating Museum of Japanese Immigration, on the 7th floor of a Liberdade office building, documents the arrival and integration of the Japanese community. Photos, period objects and a full-scale reconstruction of a typical immigrant's farm lodging tell a poignant story, from the arrival in Santos of the first 781 settlers aboard the Kasato-Maru in 1908 through to today. Signage is in Japanese and Portuguese only.
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Memorial do Imigrante
For a deeper understanding of the history of immigration to São Paulo, head to the Memorial do Imigrante in the eastern suburb of Moóca. Built in 1887, it was called the Hospedaria dos Imigrantes, and functioned as a holding place – not always friendly – for immigrant labor before they shipped out for their first jobs in Brazil, mostly on large plantations.
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Museu de Arte Contemporânea
A small branch of the University of São Paulo's Museu de Arte Contemporânea displays a rotating collection of mostly local, contemporary artists in the same Niemeyer building that houses most of the Bienal's exhibits. If the current show is not to your liking, concentrate on the building's huge spaces and Niemeyer's distinctly curving ramps.
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Fazenda do Secretário
The countryside around Vassouras is teeming with old coffee fazendas protected by historical preservation institutes. Most are still privately owned, so prior permission is required before touring them. The imposing Fazenda do Secretário is popular. The Casa de Cultura has detailed information and can help arrange visits.
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Museu da Casa Brasileira
Occupying an extravagant Palladian-style villa built by a local tycoon and his wife in the 1940s, Museu da Casa Brasileira has a hodgepodge collection of Brazilian and European furnishings from the 17th to 20th centuries. The museum's café-restaurant is its best feature, with good food and lovely outdoor seating.
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Mulungú Vermelho
The countryside around Vassouras is teeming with old coffee fazendas protected by historical preservation institutes. Most are still privately owned, so prior permission is required before touring them. Mulungú Vermelho is popular. The Casa de Cultura has detailed information and can help arrange visits.
reviewed
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Santa Eufrásia
The countryside around Vassouras is teeming with old coffee fazendas protected by historical preservation institutes. Most are still privately owned, so prior permission is required before touring them. Santa Eufrásia is popular. The Casa de Cultura has detailed information and can help arrange visits.
reviewed
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Cachoeira Grande
The countryside around Vassouras is teeming with old coffee fazendas protected by historical preservation institutes. Most are still privately owned, so prior permission is required before touring them. Cachoeira Grande is popular. The Casa de Cultura has detailed information and can help arrange visits.
reviewed
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Museu Afro-Brasil
This remarkable museum (in a winningly open Niemeyer pavilion) sheds light on the lives of Brazil's African diaspora, from slave times through the present. Its permanent collection of some 5000 objects ranges from paintings to religious objects. If you understand Portuguese, check out their fantastic website.
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Solar da Marquesa
Down a narrow side street near the cathedral stands the city's last surviving 18th-century residence, Solar da Marquesa. It is a simple but delightful villa that was once home to a lover of Emperor Dom Pedro I and which now houses a modest museum devoted to the history of the city.
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Museu do Oratório
The Museu do Oratório is in a triple-level colonial house adjacent to the Igreja NS do Carmo. Its fabulous collection of oratories includes several in the uniquely beautiful Minas style, harmoniously integrating soapstone and painted wood.
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Memorial da Liberdade
The ground floor of the Estação Júlio Prestes houses the Memorial da Liberdade, a simple but powerful exhibit occupying cells used to imprison and torture political dissidents during Brazil's military dictatorship of the 1960s and '70s.
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Museu de Artes e Ofícios
The new Museu de Artes e Ofícios, in Belo’s historic train station, houses a wide-ranging collection of objects used in the daily lives of Mineiros past and present. There are interpretive cards in English adjacent to each exhibit.
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Museu do Padre Toledo
This museum is dedicated to another hero of the Inconfidência, Padre Toledo, who lived in this 18-room house where the Inconfidêntes first met. It features regional antiques and documents from the 18th century.
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Museu Casa da Hera
Museu Casa da Hera, former home of the aristocratic heiress Eufrásia Teixeira Leite, displays antique hand-carved furniture and other colonial relics. It was closed indefinitely for restoration at the time of research.
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Museu de Ciência e Técnica da Escola de Minas
The Museu de Ciência e Técnica da Escola de Minas, in the old governor’s palace north of Praça Tiradentes, features dazzling gemstones from around the world. There’s also an astronomical observatory.
reviewed
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Museu de Arte de Pampulha
The Museu de Arte de Pampulha, with its cute garden designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, is worth a look. It was designed as a casino and shows the obvious modernist influence of Le Corbusier.
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Casa de Artista e Centro de Artes e Tradições Populares de Paraty
The Casa de Artista e Centro de Artes e Tradições Populares de Paraty is a museum and gallery that displays fishing implements and baskets, and sells local handicrafts.
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Museu Giramundo
The Museu Giramundo has a fanciful display of 400 marionettes, from performances by the internationally acclaimed, Belo-based Teatro Giramundo.
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Museum
Park headquarters and the adjacent Museum are 9km north of Itatiaia town, in the park's lower, tamer section.
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