Belo Horizonte Art Galleries

(Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil)

There are several official galleries and art museums in Belo Horizonte, as well as the numerous art shops selling paintings around the city centre. A relatively recent addition to the arts scene in the city of Belo Horizonte, the Museu de Artes e Oficios (Museum of Arts and Crafts) has become an important cultural space and occupies the former central railway station.

Also worthy of mentioning is the Museu de Arte de Pampulha, which stands in a building built in 1940 and originally designed to be a large casino. Many art works are now exhibited at this renowned gallery, including paintings, sculptures and drawings of all descriptions, together with a number of ceramics and glassware pieces. If you have time for an excursion, then consider visiting the recently opened Inhotim Art Museum (Centro de Arte Contemporanea Inhotim) at the Vale Verde Ecological Park, some 60 km / 37 miles to the south-west, in nearby Brumadinho.

Museu de Artes e Oficios (Museum of Arts and Crafts)

Address: Praca Rui Barbosa, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 031 3248 8600
Each exhibit at the Museu de Artes e Oficios comes with descriptions in both Portuguese and English. The best of these include a wealth of artefacts relating to the day-to-day life of Mineiros (residents of Minas Gerais)
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 12:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday - 11:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge, discounts for children, students and seniors, free on Saturdays

Museu de Arte da Pampulha (Pampulha Museum of Art)

Address: Avenida Otacilio Negrao de Lima 16585, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 031 3277 7946
As well as its more than plentiful art works, the Museu de Arte da Pampulha also features some intriguing video presentations about prominent Brazilian artists, such as Alfredo Volpi (1896 to 1988), Candido Portinari (1903 to 1962) and Emiliano Augusto Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Melo (1897 to 1976). On a sunny day, you may also like to check out the beautifully landscaped garden, which really does warrant a look.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday - 09:00 to 19:00
Admission: free

Palacio das Artes (Palace of the Arts)

Address: Avenida Afonso Pena 1537, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 031 3237 7234
Located on the southerly side of the Parque Municipal, the Palacio das Artes functions as both an art gallery and centre for performing arts, meaning that there is often something of interest here for all to enjoy. Visitors will find that the Palacio das Artes regularly hosts not only temporary exhibitions of paintings and photography, but also theatrical performances and dancing events, and there is even the occasional concert thrown in for good measure.
Open hours: daily - hours vary according to event / exhibition
Admission: charge for some events

Casa do Baile (House of Dance)

Address: Avenida Otacilio Negrao de Lima 16585, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, BR
Tel: +55 031 3277 7443
Built in 1943 and previously serving the city as a large dance hall, the Casa do Baile was revamped and reopened in 2002, and is now home to a variety of art exhibits. Numerous art-related and multimedia events are staged here each year, while many locals simply come here to eat at its popular cafe / restaurant, enjoying the waterfront views of the Pampulha Lagoon. Of interest, this modernist circular building was designed by a collaboration of two of Brazil's leading architects, Roberto Burle Marx and Oscar Niemeyer.
Open hours: daily - hours vary according to event / exhibition
Admission: charge for some events