The museums

Museums of Rio, Brazil Brazil's large cities have some of the most impressive art collections in South America Vladimira Dvorakova / age fotostock;

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To find out more about Brazil, go to the National History Museum in Rio. You will discover the traditions of the country through furniture, silverwork, and other historical items. Still in Rio, the Museu de Belas Artes holds works from the 18th century French School and paintings by the French artists Taunay and Debret. There are also paintings by Brazilian artists from the 19th century, such as Meirelles, Américo, da Costa and Almeida Júnior. The Chácara do Céu museum has oriental paintings from the 18th century, paintings by Monet, Picasso, and Dali, and Brazilian artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Di Cavalcanti. The museu da República has French and Brazilian furniture, and works by national artists such as Bernadelli, da Costa, Vilares and Amoêdo. The museu de Arte Sacra exhibits azulejos tiles, earthenware sculptures, ivory and silverwork, from the 16th to the 20th century. In Recife, the museu do Homen do Nordeste is a wealth of information on the origins, traditions, culture and daily life of the inhabitants of the region. In Belém, the Emilio-Goeldi museum presents the history of the Amazonian. It is also a botanical garden and zoo. In Manaus, the museu do Indio contains craftwork, quotidien objects, costumes and arms belonging to the Tukanos, Dessanas and Tarianos Indians. The museu de Ciências Naturais has butterflies, alligators, turtles, and stuffed fish.