1,674 works at the MAC Museum of Rio, Brazil

During my trip this summer to Rio, I spent my last afternoon at the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum (Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói), or MAC.

It is situated in the city of Niterói, Brazil, and is one of the city’s main landmarks.

The idea of building a contemporary art museum came about in 1991 when Joao Leao Sattamini Neto offered his collection in the city of Niteroi, including works by the leading names in Brazilian art from the last 60 years. 

The Niteroi Town Hall began constructing Oscar Niemeyer’s architectonic design in 1992, and the museum was officially opened on September 2, 1996. 

Its privileged location provides a panoramic view of the Guanabara Bay, featuring monuments and landmarks in al directions, such as the Santa Cruz Fort, Boa Viagem Island with its age-old church, in Niteroi, and Corcovado and Sugarloaf Mountain, in Rio de Janeiro.

The MAC de Niteroi collection is composed of 1,118 works in the Sattamini Collection and 556 works in the museum’s own collection, gathered through donations and acquisitions, and features artists such as:

• Abraham Palatnik
• Amilcar de Castro
• Anna Bella Geiger
• Antionio Dias
• Antonio Manuel
• Artur Barrio
• Beatriz Milhazes
• Carlos Vergara
• Carlos Zilio
• Cildo Meireles
• Daniel Senise
• Farnese de Andrade
• Flavio Shiro
• Felipe Barbosa
• Franz Weirssmann
• Helio Oiticica
• Iole de Freitas,
• Jorge Guinle
• Lygia Clark
• Lygia Pape
• Leda Catunda
• Mira Schendel
• Nelson Leirner
• Oscar Niemeyer
• Raimundo Colares
• Roberto Magalhaes
• Rubens Gerchman
• Sergio Camargo
• Tomie Ohtake
• Tunga
• Victor Arruda
• Waltercio Caldas