An invitation from Orfeu to transform an ordinary weekend into something extraordinary through Brazilian art.
The content is a project created with Uol Content_Lab. All images were created by illustrator Daniel Felipe.
There are moments that change our brain chemistry, and just like the palate of someone who drinks a good specialty coffee, like Orfeu, contact with art can provoke transformations that stay with you throughout life. It's hard to be the same afterward.
Make time to experience art, enjoy a good coffee between galleries, and leave with eyes and minds opened by the artists' work. The first visit is impactful, but returning to the museum and rediscovering the sensations of that encounter is an experience worth repeating.
There's no shortage of options in Brazil. With nearly 4,000 museums of various types, we are, according to 2021 UNESCO figures, the seventh country in the world in terms of the number of museums.
Discover 9 museums spread across Brazil. And for those who want to experience this transformation completely, Orfeu suggests coffee shops near these museums:
Ricardo Brennand Institute (PE)
R. Mário Campelo, 700 - Várzea, Recife – PE
At the Ricardo Brennand Institute, also known as Brennand Castle, you can see the largest collection of the Dutch painter Frans Post, as well as works by Benedito Calixto and an official replica of the famous sculpture The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. There are only 4 of these in South America, and the institute's is the only one that can be visited in Brazil.
In Recife, it's also worth seeing the works of artist Francisco Brennand (Ricardo's cousin). Starting with the Crystal Column or Crystal Tower in the Sculpture Park, an open-air museum open to the public with 90 works on a stretch of land that serves as a breakwater in front of the city's Marco Zero.
And to transform your palate, visit the coffee shop Sabor e Tradição (located at the same address as the Museum) and savor a good Orfeu coffee.
Oscar Niemeyer Museum (PR)
R. Mal. Hermes, 999 - Centro Cívico, Curitiba – PR
The museum named after our most prestigious architect worldwide, Oscar Niemeyer, has its buildings designed, of course, by the person it's named after. But don't think it's a museum solely about him. Also known as the Eye Museum (and for obvious reasons — just look at the shape of the main building), the collection includes a permanent exhibition of sculptures by artists such as Amélia Toledo, Emanoel Araújo, Tomie Ohtake, and even Oscar Niemeyer. A major reference in Curitiba, the MON is always on the route of major exhibitions circulating in Brazil.
In recent years, it has hosted the graffiti geniuses OSGEMEOS, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, and the Paraná artists Paulo Leminski and João Turin. It's worth keeping an eye out (pardon the pun about the museum's name) to see which exhibition is currently on display. Currently, it's a 70-year selection by pop artist Alex Flemming.
To taste an Orfeu coffee, visit Galeria Panaceia, at Rua Eurípedes Garcez do Nascimento, 965
Masp (SP)
Av. Paulista, 1578 - Bela Vista, São Paulo – SP
Another museum that is a work of art in itself is the São Paulo Museum of Art Assis Chateaubriand, or Masp, as it is better known. Located on the country's most famous avenue and a postcard of São Paulo, Masp goes beyond its imposing and surprising building, with the enormous central span that arouses curiosity in everyone who passes by. The building designed by Lina Bo Bardi houses a quality collection since its founding in 1947, still in downtown São Paulo, before the construction of the building on Avenida Paulista.
Precisely because it is in the heart of São Paulo, it is perhaps the city's best-known museum. Before the pandemic, it was the art museum that received the most visitors in Brazil. And the collection lives up to its fame: from Renoir to Monet, passing through Matisse and Picasso. With a foreign selection of such quality, the Brazilian collection could not be far behind. The highlight of the national collection goes to important works by modernists Lasar Segall, Anita Malfatti, Alfredo Volpi, Brecheret, Di Cavalcanti, Flávio de Carvalho, and Cândido Portinari.
Upon leaving Masp, you can find Orfeu coffee at Café Mestiço, also located on Avenida Paulista, 509 - store 24 - Paraíso.
Afro-Brazilian Museum (BA)
Largo do Terreiro de Jesus s/n, Faculty of Medicine of Bahia Building, Historic Center Salvador – BA
The largest concentration of Brazil's black population is in Bahia. And it is there, in Salvador, that we can see the artistic contribution in the Afro-Brazilian Museum of the Federal University of Bahia. Inaugurated in 1982, the museum emerged as a space for collecting, preserving, and disseminating collections related to African and Afro-Brazilian cultures.
In total, MAFRO has more than 1,100 pieces in its collection that help understand the importance of Africa in the formation of Brazilian culture. Highlights include the 27 "Mural dos Orixás" panels by Carybé, which was commissioned for a local bank and is on loan to the museum.
To taste Orfeu coffee when in Pelourinho, go to Tropicália Gelato e Caffé, located at Rua da Misericórdia, 7, store 3.
Indigenous Art Museum (PR)
Av. Água Verde, 1413, Curitiba – PR
The country's first museum, the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, was inaugurated in 1818. However, art already existed in the territory we would come to call Brazil long before that construction. The first artists here were the indigenous people, whose art is brilliantly represented in the Indigenous Art Museum of Curitiba. With one of the largest collections of its kind in the world, the MAI contextualizes the exhibited production with Brazilian culture, showing the enormous importance of indigenous art in the country's artistic production.
Enjoy a good Orfeu coffee at Nomade Restaurante (inside the Nomaa Hotel), R. Gutemberg, 168 – Batel.
Pinacoteca (SP)
Praça da Luz, 2 - Luz, São Paulo – SP
São Paulo has museums, parks, and also the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, a museum that extends beyond its building in Jardim da Luz, where we can see beautiful sculptures by names such as Brecheret, Maria Martins, Lasar Segall, and Amilcar de Castro. The classic part of the Pinacoteca houses exhibitions and a collection with iconic works of Brazilian painting. Cândido Portinari is represented by his work "The Half-Breed," Tarsila do Amaral has her "Anthropophagy," Almeida Júnior with his "Caipira chopping tobacco."
But you'll find much more than classic paintings. Tuca Vieira's iconic photograph, Paraisópolis, is also part of the collection. Recently, the museum expanded with a new building called Pinacoteca Contemporânea. A great place to experience classic and contemporary art, with the opportunity to take a stroll through the park between the two buildings.
To conclude your visit to the historic center in a transformative way, enjoy an Orfeu coffee at SubAstor, located at Bar do Cofre, R. João Brícola, 24.
MAM Rio (RJ)
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 Parque do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro – RJ
Speaking of a museum in a beautiful place, how could we leave out the Museum of Modern Art in the marvelous city? With a delightful garden around the building - designed by Burle Marx - it offers incredible views wherever you look. But it is within its four walls that you can see the preciousness of the museum's collection.
In addition to an international collection of renowned names such as Brancusi, Carlos Carra, Henri Moore, and Torres-Garcia, Rio's MAM has major Brazilian names in its collection, such as Adriana Varejão, Abraham Palatnik, Hélio Oiticica, and Leonilson. There are about 15,000 works of art in the collection. Currently, some areas of the museum are closed to the public due to renovation and restoration work for MAM Rio to host the G20 Summit in November in the city.
Near MAM Rio, you can find Orfeu Coffee at Coffeebreak Cafeteria, Av. Henrique Valadares, 17A - Lapa.
MAM Salvador (BA)
Av. Lafayete Coutinho, s/n - Comercio, Salvador – BA
Another Museum of Modern Art that couldn't be left out is the one in Bahia. If the view from its Rio de Janeiro counterpart is impressive, the one in Salvador is no less so. Housed in the Solar do Unhão building, an 18th-century historical site on the shores of All Saints Bay, the museum highlights works by artists such as Alfredo Volpi, Clóvis Graciano, Rebolo Gonsales, Rubem Valentim, and Tarsila do Amaral.
You can enjoy the view and taste an Orfeu Coffee that is sold on site.
National Museum of the Republic (DF)
Setor Cultural Sul, Lote 2 próximo à Rodoviária do Plano Piloto, Brasília – DF
Another Niemeyer on the list. This is part of his works that integrate the true open-air museum he helped build on a grand scale in Brasília. The building, with its somewhat alien-like dome, attracts attention both inside and out. The museum's collection features over 1,400 works by Brazilian artists, using multiple techniques and artistic languages, from the mid-last century to today.
At Capital Bistro e Café, located at the same address as the National Museum, Orfeu Coffee will help make your visit even more unforgettable.