Museu de Arte Contemporânea -- Niterói

Frommer's Review

Oscar Niemeyer's spaceship design for Niterói's new Contemporary Art Museum has done for this bedroom city what Gehry's Guggenheim did for Bilbao, Spain: Put it on the map (at least in Brazil). Set atop a promontory with a stunning view of Rio, the all-white flying saucer says clearly yet elegantly that here is a landmark structure. The magic continues inside with an observation gallery following a band of picture windows around the outside circumference, inviting patrons to gaze on Rio, the Sugarloaf, Guanabara Bay, and the city of Niterói itself. As a gallery, however, the museum has drawbacks. Circular buildings are inherently difficult to make functional. Still, curators do their best, bringing in a constantly changing selection of the best of Brazilian contemporary art (think abstract sculpture, textiles, and painting). Even so, one can't help thinking the best piece of work on display is the building itself. Allow about an hour.

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