The best art galleries in Rio de Janeiro

Founded in 2003 by three artists—Márcio Botner, Ernesto Neto, and Laura Lima—this gallery aims to think, produce, experiment, celebrate, and sell art. Located in the historic center of Saara, it occupies two 1920s townhouses connected by a crossroads. It's become a hub for the voices of various artists and ideas.

Opened in 2016 by the partners of Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, a successful São Paulo gallery, Carpintaria has transcended the concept of a branch and expanded its scope with a dynamic, interdisciplinary program. Expect exhibitions featuring duos or trios of artists and dialogues between different mediums. The gallery is housed in the former carpentry workshop of the Jockey Club, hence the name.

A pioneer in the modernist movement, this gallery opened by Luiz Sève boasts a substantial collection with works by artists like Lygia Clark, Di Cavalcanti, Cândido Portinari, Waltércio Caldas, and Frans Krajcberg. It has hosted significant retrospectives of Iberê Camargo, Hélio Oiticica, and Alfredo Volpi (2003).

Nara Roesler is one of the leading contemporary art galleries in Brazil, representing artists who started their careers in the 1950s, as well as established and emerging names whose work engages with the trends set by these historical figures. Founded in 1989, the gallery presents an exhibition program developed in close collaboration with its artists. In 2012, it expanded its headquarters in São Paulo; in 2014, it opened a branch in Rio de Janeiro; and in 2015, it inaugurated a space in New York.

With a 40-year history, this contemporary art gallery is one of the country's leading galleries, representing artists like Amilcar de Castro, Miguel Rio Branco, Nelson Leirner, Iole de Freitas, Ana Maria Tavares, Sebastião Salgado, Cristina Canale, and Roberto Magalhães. Since 2010, it has been located in a charming building in Gávea.