The Gávea house is temporarily closed for renovation; meanwhile, IMS Rio’s program is running at partner venues. Check the official website.
In Gávea, at the edge of the forest, the Instituto Moreira Salles (IMS) occupies one of Rio’s most beautiful modernist houses. It is a cultural center for exhibitions, film and music, devoted above all to photography — and a peaceful retreat, with a garden, a café and free entry.
The institute was founded in 1992 by banker and diplomat Walther Moreira Salles. Since 1999, its Rio headquarters has been the family’s former home, built in 1951 to a design by architect Olavo Redig de Campos, with gardens by Roberto Burle Marx.
The house is a lesson in Brazilian modern architecture, with horizontal lines, large openings and a close relationship with the garden and the surrounding forest. Burle Marx’s gardens, full of tropical plants, are an outing in themselves and a good place to slow down between exhibitions.
The IMS holds one of Brazil’s great photography collections, with images by Marc Ferrez, who documented 19th-century Rio, Marcel Gautherot, José Medeiros and many others. It also keeps music, literature and iconography archives that feed exhibitions, books and research.
Several of the historical photos on this website, in fact, come from the IMS collection. Besides the exhibitions, the program includes film screenings and other cultural activities, and the garden café is one of the most pleasant spots in Gávea for a break.
Tips: entry is free, but check opening hours and the program on the official website. Save time for a coffee after the exhibitions and combine the visit with the Botanical Garden or the Lagoon, in the same area. Come and go by ride-hailing app.
Official website: IMS Rio ↗