Art Museum of Belém 🇧🇷

Step into the heart of Belém, Brazil, and explore the Belém Museum of Art (MABE). Located in the historic Cidade Velha neighborhood between Felipe Patroni and D. Pedro II squares, this public municipal museum offers a fascinating journey through Brazilian and international visual arts.

Housed in the stunning 19th-century Antônio Lemos Palace—also known as the "Palacete Azul"—the museum presents a majestic late neoclassical setting that serves as both the city's municipal government headquarters and a premier cultural destination. Inside, you will discover a rich collection of over 1,500 artworks created between the 18th and 20th centuries. Spanning seven upper-floor and two first-floor exhibition rooms, the collection features paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, photographs, and applied arts like period furniture and porcelain.

Highlights include captivating Pará iconography depicting traditional Amazonian life and urban landscapes of Belém. Don't miss the impressive set of eleven canvases by artist Antônio Parreiras, alongside notable academic works by Theodoro Braga and Benedito Calixto dating back to the prosperous rubber boom era. Beyond its permanent display rooms, MABE features temporary exhibition spaces, a specialized visual arts library, an auditorium, and a cinema room.

What to see at Art Museum of Belém

• Housed in the historic 19th-century Antônio Lemos Palace ("Palacete Azul")
• Collection of over 1,500 artworks, sculptures, photographs, and applied arts from the 18th to 20th centuries
• Rich Pará iconography and Amazonian scenes capturing the region's unique heritage
• Eleven urban landscape canvases of Belém by renowned painter Antônio Parreiras
• Works from prominent Brazilian artists of the rubber boom era like Theodoro Braga and Benedito Calixto

Visiting tips

Be sure to take time to appreciate the external architecture of the Palacete Azul in Cidade Velha before exploring the upper-floor galleries.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Art Museum of Belém is easy to reach on Belém’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Theatro da Paz and Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth of Exile. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Belém travel guide.