the museum was designed by rio's own, oscar niemeyer, who is world renowned as one of the key protagonists in modern architecture - it was completed in 1996, and has all of the boldness of the pieces of art that are housed inside. 

the structure took five years to be built, using the labor of over 300 workers - made up of four cylindrical stories on the top of the boa viagem lookout, visitors can enjoy incredible panoramic views of rio's natural surroundings, in an iconic structure that more resembles a flying saucer than a museum.

the mac is primarily intended for contemporary artworks, entirely dated to the twentieth century.