Inaugurated on 1 March 2013, the Museu de Arte do Rio promotes a transversal reading of the city’s history, its social fabric, its symbolic life, conflicts, contradictions, challenges and social expectations. Its exhibitions unite historical and contemporary dimensions of art through national and international exhibitions of long and short duration. The museum also rises with a mission to insert art in public education, through its Escola do Olhar.
MAR is located in Praça Mauá, in two buildings with both heterogeneous and interconnected profiles: the Dom João VI Mansion, listed and eclectic, which houses the exhibition rooms, and the neighbouring building, in a modernist style – originally a bus station – where the Escola do Olhar is situated.
With its own collection – in the process of being built through acquisitions and donations that correspond to its agenda – MAR also counts on the loaning of works from some of the best public and private collections in Brazil for the execution of its programme.
A proactive space for the support of education and culture, the museum was born with a school – the Escola do Olhar – whose museological proposal is innovative: to foster the development of an educational programme of reference for actions in Brazil and overseas, bringing together art and education starting from the curatorial programme that guides the institution.
An initiative of the Rio City Hall Hall in partnership with the Roberto Marinho Foundation, MAR performs activities that involve the collection, registration, research, preservation and returning to the community of cultural goods – in the shape of exhibitions, catalogues and multimedia and educational programmes, as recommended by Unesco.
An initiative of the City Hall of Rio in partnership with the Roberto Marinho Foundation, the Museum of Art of Rio started to be managed by the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) since January this year. The Odeon Institute was responsible for the operationalization, support and execution of cultural activities and services for the complete management of the Museum of Art of Rio since its
The museum has the Instituto Cultural Vale as a maintainer, Equinor as the master sponsor, Bradesco Seguros as the sponsor, all through the Federal Culture Incentive Law, and, as a co-sponsor, the Grupo PetraGold, through its own resources.
Escola do Olhar has the support of Itaú Cultural, Machado Meyer Advogados and Icatu Seguros via the Federal Culture Incentive Law. Through the Municipal Culture Incentive Law – ISS Law, it is also sponsored by the Grupo GPS, RIOgaleão, ICTSI Rio Brasil, ONS (Operador Nacional do Sistema Elétrico) and HIG Capital.
MAR also counts on the support of the State Government of Rio de Janeiro and realization of the Special Secretariat of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Government of Brazil, through the Federal Law of Incentive to Culture.