Inhotim Museum
Art museum · Brumadinho ·
Largest open-air art museum with 800 works & botanical gardens
Largest open-air art museum with 800 works & botanical gardens
"A vast museum and sculpture park in Minas Gerais now paired with the new Clara Arte Resort, this destination marries monumental outdoor works with an on‑site stay that makes lingering amid art and nature irresistible." - Travel + Leisure Editors Travel + Leisure Editors Since 1971, Travel + Leisure editors have followed one mission: to inform, inspire, and guide travelers to have deeper, more meaningful experiences. T+L's editors have traveled to countries all over the world, having flown, sailed, road tripped, and taken the train countless miles. They've visited small towns and big cities, hidden gems and popular destinations, beaches and mountains, and everything in between. With a breadth of knowledge about destinations around the globe, air travel, cruises, hotels, food and drinks, outdoor adventure, and more, they are able to take their real-world experience and provide readers with tried-and-tested trip ideas, in-depth intel, and inspiration at every point of a journey. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"I would add Inhotim to that list: a sprawling and relatively obscure contemporary art collection that complements Brazil’s astonishing sights." - William O'Connor William O'Connor William O'Connor was the former freelance aviation editor for Travel + Leisure. He was also the founding travel editor at The Daily Beast. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"Latin America’s largest open-air art museum, home to some 800 works by more than 50 artists, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026 with new exhibitions and on-site hotel expansion at Clara Arte Resort." - Arati Menon, Megan Spurrell
"Described as Latin America’s largest open-air art museum with 800 works by more than 50 artists, Inhotim is noted for expanded on-site hotel capacity and special exhibitions planned for its 20th anniversary in 2026." - Megan Spurrell
"When you arrive in Inhotim, you will be handed a map so you can pick your route and begin your quest. And there is much to see at this gigantic open-air contemporary art center, surrounded by 500,000 acres of botanical gardens in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The sight of an igloo or a floating block of concrete, a labyrinth of mirrors camouflaged in a way that butterflies bash into it, or a kaleidoscopic telescope, is part of the experience of a world-class collection of over 1,300 works of art produced from 1960 until today. A chauffeured golf cart will park by your side before you decide what to see first. You can choose to walk or to take a ride through lakes, valleys, forest areas, and gardens. Of Instituto Inhotim’s 500,000 acres of botanical gardens, about 100,000 are opened for visitation and ready to awe with an extensive collection of exotic and rare tropical species and numerous palm trees from all over the world. Away from the Brazilian urban setting, Inhotim allows time to contemplate and embrace contemporary art as one with the surrounding lush nature. The interactive works of art are impressive and mesmerizing. There is a pavilion where every object is red and red is the experience. In another pavilion, inspired by artists Hélio Oiticica and Neville D’Almeida’s Cosmococa, visitors enter rooms where they’re promised to experience the feeling of being on cocaine. In one room, Jimi Hendrix plays guitar while a pillow fight brings in chaos; another room is filled with hammocks; in the end, there is a lit indoor pool. There are 23 pavilions and permanent galleries of artists from 30 different countries. To some, the idea of building a gigantic museological complex, pavilions, and galleries with contemporary artwork on display in the open air in the middle of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, might have sounded like a far-fetched, megalomaniac project. But to Brazilian billionaire Bernardo Paz, who planned out the construction of Instituto Inhotim in 2006, building one of the most daring, ambitious, and creative art museums in the world is not impossible. Today, Instituto Inhotim is an active nonprofit when it comes to developing educational programs, providing access to cultural assets to the community, and improving the quality of life in the region. The long-term plan is to turn the place into a destination in itself. Spas and resorts are being planned, and there are new pavilions under construction and plans to organize film festivals and events to promote environmental awareness, cultural empowerment, and diversity. In the future, Paz believes it will take about 12 days to fully take in this unique, unparalleled, sensorial, and aesthetic experience." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
