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All Brazil Niterói Niterói Contemporary Art Museum

Niterói Contemporary Art Museum

An art museum with an eclectic design and a scandalous past.

Niterói, Brazil

Added By
KimberlySmith
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Inside the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum   hrnick
Inside the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum   hrnick
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum   hrnick
Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói   tomaszagoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Designed by Oscar Niemeyer with the assistance of structural engineer Bruno Contarini, the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum (MAC) is one of the most popular landmarks in Rio de Janeiro.

While all is currently well at the UFO-shaped museum, its beginnings were rife with scandal. In a shady real estate deal in 1996, the sub-mayor convinced the owner of the land adjacent to the museum that city council had hopelessly locked the property from building anything new. After purchasing the land from the hoodwinked owner, the mayor, only a few days later, sent in a proposal to build in the site, which was immediately accepted. After personally inaugurating the MAC, bumping the surrounding land up astronomically in price, they then sold the property what would equate to over $2,000,000 US currency.

Due to the winter timing of the dirty dealings, the scandal was referred to as the politician's "Christmas Present" to themselves.

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Added By

KimberlySmith

Edited By

hrnick, juliafsfalcao, tomaszagoda, jlord7...

  • hrnick
  • juliafsfalcao
  • tomaszagoda
  • jlord7
  • elizabethcms

Published

May 19, 2012

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  • http://www.macniteroi.com.br/site/index.php
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niterói_Contemporary_Art_Museum
  • https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museu_de_Arte_Contempor%C3%A2nea_de_Niter%C3%B3i
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum
Pria da Boa Viagem
Niterói, 24210-400
Brazil
-22.907906, -43.125793
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