The Museum of Image and Sound showcases the best Brazilian contemporary image-makers. Photographs in the changing exhibits are always compelling, beautifully displayed, and deeply engaged with contemporary themes such as sex, media manipulation, or marginalization. At all times they make you think. The museum's one permanent display is a 14m (45 feet) 360-degree panoramic photograph of the city of São Paul, taken between 1919 and 1921. Allow 1 hour. Call ahead to verify hours. The museum closes between exhibits, often for extended periods. Located in an intriguing concrete building right next door, the Museu Brasileiro da Escultura (tel. 011/3081-8611; www.mube.art.br) claims to play host to traveling exhibits of Brazilian artists and sculptors, and to be open Tuesday through Sunday 10 to 7pm, but for lack of funds and organization the museum is closed more often than not.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Brazil, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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