Known since 1876 as Chácara do Céu (Portuguese for “Country home in the sky”), this Santa Teresa modernist mansion was formerly the home of the French-born industrialist and passionate art collector Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya, who inherited the property in 1936. Designed in 1954 by architect Wladimir Alves de Souza, the current building is distinguished by its quaint gardens, modernist structure and architectural accomplishments, namely, the unique manner by which the gardens interact with the building. Its location in the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa in Rio allows for spectacular 360 degree views of the Marvelous city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Guanabara Bay.
The charming Museum of Chacara do Céu is located inside the three-story abode, which is filled with Maya’s collection of antique furniture and acclaimed artwork. In addition to classic Brazilian art, much of which portrays 19th century landscape paintings, the Museum Chacara do Céu also features the paintings of European masters including Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Dalí, Seurat, Modigliani and Miró. Museum Chácara do Céu is also notable as the largest public collection of drawings and engravings by the renowned Brazilian artist Candido Portinari. Chacara do Céu also features an extensive library of books, numbered around 8,000 volumes, many of which are nineteenth century descriptions of Brazil by early travelers and naturalists.
Hours: The Museum Chacara do Céu is open daily (not on Tuesdays, however) from 12pm (noon) to 5pm. The museum will be closed on January 1, Good Friday, during Rio Carnival, on April 21, May 1, during Corpus Christi, on September 7, October 12, November 2, November 15 and December 25.
Phone: 55-21-2224-8981 and 55-21-2507-1932
Location: The Museum Chacara do Céu is located at Rua Murtinho Nobre 93, Santa Teresa, 20241-050, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brazil.
Price: Admission to the Museum Chacara do Céu is R$2. The museum is free for children ages 12 and under and seniors ages 65 and above.
