Fodor's Expert Review Museu de Arte do Rio

Rio's once run-down port zone is now the focus of a major investment and regeneration program, and the 2013 opening of the Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) has provided a compelling reason for visitors to head to this part of town. The attention-grabbing museum structures—a colonial palace and a modernist former bus station, united visually by a wavelike postmodern form that floats on stilts above them—represent an impressive feat of architectural reimagination. The gallery celebrates depictions of Rio throughout the ages, and the eight gallery spaces inside the buildings contain permanent collections of surrealist, modernist, and naïf artworks. Visiting exhibitions tend to be good, and the views from the top floor—looking out to sea and across Rio's port—are impressive.