Discover 7 open-air museums in Brazil

Open-air museums and galleries are a great alternative for getting away from the conventional art spaces we already know. Although this concept began in Norway in 1867, Brazil has several options for open-air museums throughout its territory - including one that is considered the largest in the world. To keep up with the pace of summer vacations, check out some of the open-air museum options that guarantee contact with nature and art.

Inhotim Institute

With a unique dialogue between art and nature, the Inhotim Institute, located in Brumadinho (MG), is one of the largest open-air museums in the world! Situated between the Atlantic Rainforest and Cerrado biomes, its visitation guarantees the discovery of exuberant landscapes throughout its 140 hectares of extension. The Institute has a collection of approximately 1.862 works by more than 280 artists from 43 countries, which are exhibited outdoors and in galleries amid a garden with more than 4,300 botanical species trees found on five continents. Address: Rua B, Povoado Inhotim (Conceição do Itaguá), 20, Brumadinho (MG) Opening hours: from Tuesday* to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Passes: R$60 (full price) and R$30 (half price); free admission on Wednesdays and the last Sundays of the month. *Only during the month of January the museum is open on Tuesdays; from next month it will be open from Wednesday to Friday.

The Francisco Brennand Workshop

The Francisco Brennand Workshop is located in Recife (PE) and aims to preserve the legacy of art in the region, housing monumental sculptures by the artist Francisco Brennand. The space brings together grandiose sculptures, exhibited outdoors, while its internal part is dedicated to smaller sculptures. Created from the transformation of the remains of a pottery factory into a studio, the Workshop was built by the ceramist Brennand in 1971, when he occupied the ruins of a factory that had once belonged to his father and produced most of his work. The studio-museum also promotes a cultural and educational program with presentations, meetings, experiences, training, courses, tours and special events every month. Address: Santos Cosme e Damião property - R. Diogo de Vasconcelos, S/N - Várzea, Recife - PE Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 5pm (box office until 4pm) Passes: R$ 50 (full) and R$ 25 (half); For residents of Pernambuco: R$40 (full) and R$20 (half price)

The São Paulo Open Museum of Urban Art

The São Paulo Open Museum of Urban Art is made up of works by graffiti artists installed on the pillars that support the elevated section of Line 1-Azul of the São Paulo Metro, located on the central median of Avenida Cruzeiro do Sul between Santana and Portuguesa-Tietê stations, in the North Zone of the São Paulo capital. The space can be visited at any time by pedestrians, cyclists or even motorists who pass by on the avenue and can appreciate the works displayed on both sides of the pilasters, each about ten meters high. The open-air museum was already frequented by many artists from the graffiti scene, but with the creation of the project which, in addition to the works, aimed to encourage art, curators Binho Ribeiro and Chivitz got permission to exhibit their works legally in 2011. MAAU also aims to provoke reflection on the censorship of graffiti in the city of São Paulo. Address: Av. Cruzeiro do Sul, 2611 - Santana, São Paulo - SP.

Fábrica de Arte Marcos Amaro - FAMA Museum

Considered one of the largest art centers in Latin America, the Fábrica de Arte Marcos Amaro has an area of 25,000 m² and is located in Itu, in the interior of São Paulo. In addition to gardens and warehouses, the museum has eight exhibition rooms with a collection focused on historical industrial architecture with contemporary artistic interventions.

The site where FAMA is located was formerly the Companhia Fiação e Tecelagem São Pedro, a textile industry of great national economic importance in the 19th century, which was transformed into an open-air museum and art gallery in 2018. Address: R. Padre Bartolomeu Tadei, 09 - Alto, Itu - SP Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, from 11am to 5pm Passes: R$ 15

Parque Campana

In the city of Brotas, in São Paulo, is the Parque Campana - the brainchild of renowned designers Fernando and Humberto Campana. The site brings together art, education and sustainability in an area of 78 hectares inherited from their father. Inaugurated in 2024, the park has twelve pavilions that house unpublished and monumental works by the Campana Brothers. At first, the park will give access to only eight pavilions, each one recalling the family's Tuscan origins through architecture in harmony with nature. Later, there will be workshops in manual techniques, courses and artist residencies, and there will be a café and a museum with a collection of more than 6,000 pieces from the Campana Institute. Opening hours: Last Friday and Saturday of each month, with extra dates during the school vacation period (subject to change). Passes: R$50 (full) and R$25 (half price)

Felícia Leirner Museum

Set in a 35,000 m² wooded area in Campos de Jordão, the Felícia Leirner Museum includes a collection of 88 bronze, white cement, granite and plaster works by the artist Felícia Leirner. With the pieces distributed in a garden, the space is shared with the Claudio Santoro Auditorium, home of the International Winter Festival. The sculptures show signs of the phases of the artist's career, the first works in bronze and then in cement, separated by the Figurative, Path of Abstraction, Abstract, Organic and Landscape Cutouts phases. In addition, the experience guarantees direct contact with nature, since anywhere in the garden you can appreciate the plants, butterflies, lizards, birds, squirrels and landscapes of the Mantiqueira mountains. Address: Av. Dr. Luis Arrobas Martins, 1880 - Alto Boa Vista (Campos do Jordão/SP) Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Passes: R$15 (full price) and R$7.50 (half price)

Museu Parque Histórico de Carambeí

The Museu Parque Histórico de Carambeí is named the largest open-air historical museum in Brazil. Located in the Campos Gerais, between Castro and Ponta Grossa in Paraná, it is set in a 100,000 m² site, with wings that portray the culture and history of Dutch immigration in the last century, as well as its relations with different ethnic groups. The aim of the museum is to resurrect memories and provoke a cultural immersion and sensory experience in its visitors, through spaces that reproduce the dynamics of the settler lifestyle at the beginning of the 20th century. The ecological park is inspired by the style of Dutch Zaanse Schans, with large gardens, a Memorial House, an amphitheater and a Koffiehuis - a bakery and restaurant offering a menu of typical and traditional cuisine. You can also see the Dutch architecture marked by mills, water wheels and different shapes of doors and windows. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm Address: Av. dos Pioneiros, 4050, Carambeí - PR Passes: R$ 30 (full) and R$ 15 (half price) [april-veja-tambem]W3siaWQiOjE4NTcwMiwidGl0bGUiOiJMZSBCb24gTWFyY2gmI3hFOTsgUml2ZSBHYXVjaGUsIGVtIFBhcmlzLCAmI3hFOTsgb2N1cGFkYSBwb3Igb2JyYXMgZGUgRXJuZXN0byBOZXRvIn0seyJpZCI6MTg1NjgzLCJ0aXRsZSI6IkVtIExvcyBBbmdlbGVzLCBwYXRyaW0mI3hGNDtuaW8gbW9kZXJuaXN0YSBhbWVyaWNhbm8gZXN0JiN4RTE7IG5vIGZvY28gZG9zIGluYyYjeEVBO25kaW9zIn0seyJpZCI6MTg1MTQ1LCJ0aXRsZSI6IkVzdGFudGUgdmVyZGUgJiN4RTk7IGEgcHJvdGFnb25pc3RhIGRlIGFwYXJ0YW1lbnRvIGNvbSBjYXJhIGRlIGNhc2EifV0=[/abril-see-also][april-whatsapp][/abril-whatsapp]