Brazilian museums - a virtual visit

Traveling in Brazil is the dream of many Brazil fans. First a trip to the lively metropolis Rio de Janeiro with its countless attractions, like the Statue of Christ and the famous beaches Ipanema and Copacabana. Then on to the impressive Iguaçu waterfalls in the border triangle. You may continue with a survival tour in the Amazon. Spend some days in the middle of the rainforest and explore the area around the lodge by canoe. Finally, off to Bahia. First to Salvador and then spend a few relaxed days at the wonderful beaches of Bahia. This or similar is probably how people imagined their Brazil vacation. Since this is not possible at the moment, we have created a virtual tour for you.

Why not visit some Brazilian museums very comfortably from the sofa at home? For example the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba, the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro or the Frevo Palace in Recife. We introduce you to Brazilian museums, that are keeping their chin up during the current Corona crisis and offer art lovers a virtual tour.

Oscar Niemeyer is certainly well known to lovers of architecture. He is one of Brazil's most famous architects and was the pioneer of modern Brazilian architecture. Early on, he used reinforced concrete and thus distinguished himself from his colleagues. In the Brazilian capital, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, he designed numerous buildings, such as the Cathedral of Brasília or the National Congress. The Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba was also designed by him and is an admirable architectural work. In the museum, there are approximately 7,000 works, that are all connected to Niemeyer in one way or another. Some of these works are also available on the virtual tour, as well as some of the past exhibitions.

The National Museum in Rio de Janeiro was unfortunately in the headlines everywhere in 2018 due to a fire. Within a short time, Brazil's cultural treasures were destroyed by the flames. Fortunately, in 2016 pictures were taken of the museum and its archives and so we can still see some collections online. The museum is not only the oldest scientific institution in Brazil but also the largest natural and ethnological museum in South America. It had one of the most important palaeontological and anthropological collections. Among them were dinosaur fossils and skeleton fragments of "Luzia", fragments of a female skeleton, whose age is dated to approximately 11,000 to 11,500 years.

Pernambuco is considered the birthplace of the Frevo. Frevo, a traditional Brazilian music and dance style, is simply part of Pernambuco and not only during the carnival season. Frevo was also recognized by UNESCO in 2012 as an intangible cultural heritage of mankind. The Paço do Frevo is located in the former premises of the "British Western Telegraph Company", a building in neo-classical style from 1908, where a place for the protection and promotion of Frevo was created. The museum is also a real eye-catcher, thanks to its creative and colorful scenography.

The Pinacoteca de São Paulo is highly recommended for art lovers. The Museum of Visual Arts focuses on Brazilian art from the 19th century to the present and is one of the most important art museums in São Paulo. The nearby Luz Train Station and the Parque da Luz are also very worth seeing. Over the years, the Pinacoteca has grown into a very important collection, which today includes almost 11,000 works of Brazilian art, most of which are paintings and sculptures. But also drawings, prints, photographs, tapestries, objects of the decorative arts and a selection of paintings from colonial times are in the possession of the Pinacoteca. Among the most famous Brazilian artists, whose works can be found in the Pinacoteca are Almeida Júnior, Caipira Picando, Pedro Alexandrino, Bertha Worms and Victor Brecheret. There are also some works by European artists such as Auguste Rodin and Aristide Maillol.

Football is simply typical Brazil and it is impossible to imagine the largest country in South America without it. 5 World Cup victories and worldwide known talents like Ronaldo or Neymar speak for themselves. The football museum in São Paulo deals with a wide variety of topics related to the practice, history and curiosities of Brazilian and world football. The permanent exhibition and 14 exciting football stories can be viewed online, thus enabling visitors to get to know the emotional history of Brazilian football better. You also have access to the Museu do Impedimento. A joint project, that reminds us of the history of women's football in Brazil. From 1941 to 1979, Brazilian women were forbidden to play football by law.

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world and is also one of the largest consumers of coffee. No wonder, because a cafezinho is simply part of everyday life in Brazil. Brazilians always find time for a cafezinho. The coffee museum is one of the most important sights in Santos. The museum is located in the ancient coffee exchange, where the Brazilian coffee was weighed and traded until the 1960s before it left the port of Santos by ship. A highlight of the coffee museum is certainly the architecture of the beautiful colonial building. In the various rooms, photographs, paintings, antique coffee-making tools and much more are used to explain the historical and cultural significance of coffee in Brazil and how coffee cultivation is linked to Brazil's political and economic development.

A worldwide unique combination of art, nature, botanical gardens and modern architecture. A visit to the Inhotim in Brumadinho is one of the highlights in South America for art lovers. Each pavilion provides a "wow-experience". The museum houses a world-renowned collection of contemporary South American art. More than 700 works from about 200 artists from different countries around the world are exhibited here. Among the most famous are Cildo Meireles, Vik Muniz, Hélio Oiticica, Paul McCartney and Zhan Huang. However, not only the works but also the magnificent garden and the open-air gallery can be viewed online.

The Museu Afro Brasil is located in Ibirapuera Park, an important urban park in São Paulo. The museum is located in the pavilion Manoel da Nóbrega, designed in 1959 by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. The museum deals with themes of African and Afro-Brazilian culture, including religion, work, art and slavery. The museum's collection consists of more than 6,000 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, documents, archives, etc. collected between the 15th century and today. In the virtual tour it is possible to visit the different floors of the museum and view the exhibits.

The MASP (Museu de Arte de São Paulo) is the most important art museum in Brazil and is located in São Paulo on Avenida Paulista. The building was designed by the architect Lina Bo Bardi and is famous for its four red columns that "float" the building. The museum collection includes works by national artists such as Cândido Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, Anita Malfatti and Almeida Junior. There are also works by international artists such as Rafael, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Chagall. It is possible to get to know the museum's collection, the access galleries and details of the exhibited works virtually and also "walk" through the corridors of the museum.

Have you become curious? Then take a virtual tour of one of the museums. That way, the waiting time until the next Brazil trip is guaranteed to pass more quickly.

Sources: www.archdaily.com.br, www.guiadasemana.com.br, www.wikipedia.org