Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói

This building is amazing architecture. The exhibits inside though were less impressive which was a shame. In reality the main attraction from inside is the view. The way Oscar has directed you to look down over the water to the landforms being, restricting a view of the expanse of sky is magnificent architecture. We went to the bistro below and had a pleasant lunch, the view from there likewise is directed to the water through thoughtful window placement. This is a place you should visit if your have a spare day while in Rio.

You have to visit MAC of you’re in Niterói/Icarai. What a cool building! And the fact that something as cool as this is from the 90s? Wow… Worth the visit. Free entry on Wednesdays. They have one artist exposition at a time.

Bring cash, they don't accept card inside. Tourist that were just leaving said the expo inside was not worth it. The exterior es SPECTACULAR truly a masterpiece worth visiting and admiring.

To be honest, we didn’t come for the art - we came for the architecture. As one of Oscar Niemeyer’s most iconic and celebrated creations, this building doesn’t just house the art; it is THE art. In fact, its sweeping curves and bold presence utterly eclipse whatever hangs on the walls inside. Standing before it, in this breathtaking setting, is a five-star experience - no, beyond five stars. The exhibition within? A mere whisper compared to the thunderous poetry of the structure itself. While the price of admission is more than reasonable, the absence of a functioning e-payment system made for a rather unconventional and even bizarre solution. To get the cash to purchase the tickets, I was advised to buy from the coconut vendor on the street, then ask him to charge “extra” on my credit card in return for cash reals. It was such a first world meets third world situation! Every aspect of the MAC is photogenic. The blazing Rio sun and clear skies helped. We lingered for two hours both on the inside and out. And after that we lingered even further with a meal at the delicious Bistrô MAC with its panoramic view of Guanabara Bay. It was an amazing way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Beautiful museum, the building per se is an art piece!!! The views are amazing. The exhibitions were nice, I expected more from this museum to be honest. Permanent collection was nice but quite small. The temporary exhibition regarding costumes from the Carnival, really beautiful. Also, I would love to have a proper exhibition regarding the building per se, the process, construction, and so on, currently there are only a few pictures of the construction that’s it.

The Oscar Niemeyer building and location are very special. We also enjoyed a delicious light lunch at the restaurant there. We then spent 3 hours on the Praia Boa Viagem with the locals. Thoroughly enjoyed this day. We also caught the ferry back to Rio.

The two pictures below are what I saw on Dec 6th 2025. Just rocks as contemporary art. They really need to do better.

Beautiful building and site, very friendly and welcoming staff. The museum is rather small and the permanent collection was a bit disappointing (most pieces were « without title), but the expo in the main hall was amazing. Worth a visit, and Niteroi is a good escape from the busy streets of Rio.

Yes, it is far. Yes, it takes you a while to get here. Totally worth it. The Niemeyer building is the perfect way for the nature to express its glory. Those big glasses all over the museum makes you feel you are floating on an island in the middle of nowhere. Just come and see it for yourself. Even all the way driving here it's amazing the views you'll get. The collection is not the best, it's short and I only enjoyed the 3rd floor. Si, es lejos. Si, te toma tiempo llegar hasta acá. Vale la pena totalmente. El edificio de Niemeyer es la forma perfecta para que la naturaleza se despliegue y exprese en toda su gloria. Esos ventanales enormes en todos los pasillos hace que te sientas flotando en una isla en el medio de la nada. Veni y experiméntalo vos. Incluso, todo el camino en auto hasta aquí tendrás unas vistas impresionantes. La colección no es la mejor, no hay mucho y solo disfrute el 3er piso.

We were recommended to eat at MAC by a local while visiting Camino de Neimeyer in Niteroi. What a pleasant experience! It is located below the Museum of Contemporary Art. First of all you will see a breathtaking view of Rio (Sugar Loaf, Christ Redemer). It is an excellent place for pictures and to know Oscar Niemeyer's (architect) work. Once you have finished taken pictures and visiting the museum, step down into the restaurant MAC. Very classy, elegant and also with a view. The menu it is not long and you have variety. We ordered fish, chicken and beef. All flavors were delicious with the perfect side to match. Fish covered with tapioca crust with dark quinoa and steamed veggies. Curry chicken with almond rice and potato balls. Beef bourguignon with linguini. Lemon Pie. All flavors were amazing and we could not choose a favorite! It is pricier compared to previous experiences at other places, but it is definitely worth it!!!

What to say about MAC? The expectations of going to see the magnificent MAC were peppered with online searches & trying to determine the best angle to photograph this incredible building. When I first caught a glimpse of it, goosebumps ran through my body. The vision & the beauty of this magnificent creation has an immediate effect on you. The purity, the clean lines - what a joy. Now imagine how I felt when I walked into this magnificence & to my horror saw dirty windows, a grey, ugly & loose fitted carpet, an art exhibition that was displayed with no attention to detail - many pictures crooked, weak lighting no guide, poor audio, weak image projection & a walkway painted in red. Perhaps Mr Niemeyer didn't really care how his buildings were used or how they maintained them, or maybe it's the responsibility of whoever runs MAC. Whoever's responsibility it is, they should have it taken away from them because they have no understanding of how to run an art museum and furthermore how to maintain a beautiful building. I was shattered. I felt like someone had hit me in the pit of my stomach & after that I never quite recovered. The view of Rio from MAC is unparalleled. It truly is incredible & as a viewpoint it is not to be missed by tourists & Carioca's alike. Just don't come expecting excellence from the inside of the building. You simply won't find it. I took a lot of photos & I will forever have fond memories of seeing this beauty but the experience for me was like kissing a beautiful woman with bad breath. Its a big letdown. .

Let me start off by saying I am not a big Contemporary Art fan. So the exhibits of museum itself were not the main attraction for me. I believe it was an R$8 (or was it 6) admission fee. which isnt a lot, but the interior isnt large. Interior has 3 floors - which is easy to navigate through. The main attraction in my opinion is the architecture of the museum and the gorgeous view of Niteroi from the museum. MAC is an iconic landmark of Niteroi and a must visit location for any Oscar Neimeyer fan. It was lovely just to sit back and enjoy the view. Getting there was not the best. I'd recommend getting a cab (we got one from the ferry terminal) and was a quick drive. To leave, we also took a cab -- but we went to the Fort :) before leaving Niteroi

The outside part is GORGEOUS. The inside part stinks, has poor maintenance and has poor/weird exhibitions.

If you enjoy architecture but not art, this may be the place for you. First off, the building looks like something out of the Jetsons cartoon and was designed by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. The location is absolutely amazing, right on the Guanabara Bay with a wonderful view of Rio de Janeiro including Pão de Açucar. Had I stopped and just looked at the outside, this would be a much different review; however, since it is a Contemporary Art Museum, I had to go inside. Overall, I was very disappointed in the quantity and quality of art there. To be frank, the building was mostly empty. There was a small series of paintings by the same author and a large collage. I kept on looking for the hidden door or stairs to the level that housed all of the real art, but alas, that was all that was there. On the bright side, I only spent a few dollars for admission, so I it wasn't a complete loss.

Avant-garde, forward, MAC Niteroi is beautiful, a masterpiece by its architect Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer. Rotating art collection, but just getting to the museum is breathtaking - you have to take a ferry with gorgeous views of Pao de Açucar, El Cristo and the Favelas.