The Abilio Barreto Historical Museum brings visitors back to the founding days of Belo Horizonte and through hundreds of years of history. Curated by local journalist Abilio Barreto, the museum’s collection is housed in a restored colonial farmhouse typical of the first settlers. The semi-open-air museum is a reminder of Belo Horizonte’s rural roots set amid the modern metropolis.More
The brainchild of art enthusiast and mining billionaire Bernardo Paz, and brought to life by landscaper Roberto Burle Marx; Inhotim (Inhotim Institute) is a visionary wonderland tailor-made for lovers of contemporary art. Even the concept is unique: a gigantic open-air art gallery set within 500,000 acres of magnificent botanical gardens, and it’s drawn over a million visitors from all around the world since it opened its gates back in 2006.Visitors can explore on foot or rent a golf cart to zip around the gardens, which are dotted with striking sculptures, large-scale art installation and over 20 open-air galleries. Notable highlights include Chris Burden’s ‘The Beam Drop’ and ‘The Beehive Bunker’ sculptures; Olafur Eliasson's interactive kaleidoscopic telescope and Viewing Machine mirror maze; and Doug Aitken’s ‘Sonic Pavilion’. Also worth looking out for are artists like Cildo Meireles, Jorge Macchi, Matthew Barney, Paul McCarthy, Hélio Oiticica and Miguel Rio Branco.More