Interactive, flexible, adaptable, and mobile. Today, going to a museum isn’t just for "nerds" and older people, and in South America, you can get to know incredible art galleries, that transcend 4 walls and exhibit their artwork outdoors.   [caption id="attachment_4145" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud Museums that go above and beyond and offer great experiences do exist. When we think of a museum, an extremely-old enclosed building with impeccable beauty immediately comes to mind / Source[/caption]   However, with time the structures of museums have changed and have been able to reinvent themselves adjusting to the social changes and conquering new niches and hearts. Now, can you imagine yourself visiting a museum without a long wait in line, or buying tickets, or passing through extreme security checks? This is possible thanks to a new way of exhibiting art: alternative museums that are definitely here to stay. That is why, in this edition, I want to recommend the best outdoor museums that you can visit in the main South American cities:

1) The Valparaíso Open Door Museum

Valparaíso, Chile

It is a circuit of murals, graffiti and urban interventions located at the intersection of the Aldunate and Rudolph street, at the foot of the BellaVista peak, where 20 large pieces of artwork from top-notch Chilean artists like Roberto Matta, Nemesio, Antúnez and José Balmes. The museum was inaugurated in 1992 and is considered a not-to-be-missed outing in the city. Travel tip: We recommend to go prepared for Valparaíso’s climate, and check a weather app so that day you can fully enjoy it. Also, we recommend reading this article on our blog titled The street art of Valparaíso: A true museum to heaven, where you will find more details about the artistic quality that can be seen on the walls of this Chilean city.   [caption id="attachment_4152" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud Don’t forget your camera to capture murals, phrases, cats, plants, stairs and mysterious passages, each of them abound in the magic streets of Valparaíso/ Photo: Daytours4u[/caption]    

2) Plaza Botero

Medellín, Colombia

It is a museum exposed in the open air, located in the Plaza Botero, and is home to 23 bronze sculpture monuments by the renowned Colombian painter, sculptor, and illustrator Fernando Botero. The sculptures are located and spread out throughout the park, from its start to finish, surrounded by palm trees that match perfectly with the blue sky and the multi-color clothing of tourists from all over the world visit this place to find something new between all of the buildings and traffic of the city. Each sculpture represents a specific theme: Maternity, Woman with fruit, Woman with mirror, Walking Man, Sitting Woman, Man on Horseback, Roman Soldier, Hand, Head, Thought, Adam, Eve, Horse, Dog, Cat, Sphinx, among others. Also one can find in this plaza the Antioch Museum in the most well kept Art Deco building in Colombia. Travel Tip: The tradition is to take a picture of yourself with each of the sculptures. Personally, I have 23 in my photo album? Will you venture out to do it?   Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud
This open-air museum has turned into a reference for Medellín and one of the main attractions of the city for locals and foreigners / Photo: Daytours4u

3) Sculpture Park in Santiago

Santiago de Chile, Chile

After the flooding of the Mapocho river in 1982, citizens and local artists got together to create a cultural space outside, on the north river bank. The sculptor Marta Colvin inaugurated with Pachamama –Mother Earth in the Quechua language– this park full of flowers and both native and exotic trees. Right now it has more than 30 pieces of art from renowned local artists and an exhibition room, where new talents are exhibited with temporary works. Each January, the place hosts one of the country’s most important festivals, the International Jazz Festival, Providencia Jazz. Travel tip: We recommend downloading the sculptures fact sheets from this website proviarte.cl. [caption id="attachment_4153" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud Sculpture Park is visited by more than 100 thousand people per year, not only for being a great outdoor museum but also for visiting it each time one is looking for some peace in the middle of the city / Source[/caption]

 

4) Open Museum of Urban art in São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil

In September of the year 2011, São Paulo inaugurated the first outdoor museum of Urban Art, whose physical structure is the columns of the metro bridge in Cruzeiro do Sul. Urban artists from the North region of the city decided to get together in order to present a recuperation project of the area through artistic and colorful graffiti. In total, there are 33 columns where one can admire 66 works of Brazilian urban artists, amongst them, are the well-known Binho, Cranio, Chivits, Minhau, and Markone.   [caption id="attachment_4150" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud 3,000 special spray paint cans and 40, 18 liter cans of latex were used for the 66 artworks at the Open Museum of Urban Art in São Paulo / Photo: Daytours4u[/caption]

5) Museum of Mural Art in Rosario

In the city of Rosario (Colonia del Sacramento) in 1994, the first  Museum of Mural Art with a historical focus was created. Instead of being inside of a regular museum, the artworks are outside on walls and the sides of buildings and houses in the city. Really, they are on any old wall: a private home (where even the doors and windows can be integrated into the mural), a business, a public office, or the wall of a piece of land. There are 57 murals that reflect anecdotes and moments of history, fundamentally through characters, many of the generic, like the “people of the orchestra”, the basket weavers, the immigrants or the Basque; and other specific people, like Carlos Gardel, John Lennon, Champs the sailor, or the motorcyclist from Rosario Gustavo Galván.   [caption id="attachment_4132" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud Through its painted walls, Rosario narrates facts and describes characters directly related to the regional anecdote and of the town’s history/ Source[/caption]

6) Sculpture Park, Pablo Atchugarry Foundation

Punta del Este, Uruguay

Located in the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation, 30 minutes from downtown, this outdoor museum has incredible and interesting sculptures made by artists from the entire world. Even more, the visitors can enjoy other attractions that the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation offers and spend the day going around the place. It has 25 hectares full of national and international artists work, offering a large diversity of styles and expressive languages. There you will be able to find beautiful sculptures exhibited in the entire place, whether it be in closed spaces or outside, in the garden and in the park’s lake. Travel tip: If you are in Punta del Este, don’t miss the opportunity to go on this classic City Tour in Punta del Este and enjoy a beautiful sunset at Punta Ballena.   [caption id="attachment_4154" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud Its masterful sculptures imitate the immensity of the Uruguayan prairie / Photo: Daytours4u[/caption]

7) Patrimonial Cemetery in Guayaquil

Guayaquil, Ecuador

And yes, although it seems strange, the Guayaquil Cemetery is an enormous outdoor museum worthy of admiration for its cultural and historic beauty. It was inaugurated on the 27th of April in 1823 at the foot of the Carmen Mountain and was declared Cultural Patrimony of Ecuador, on October 18th, 2003. Its cultural and architectural richness is expressed in its tombs and mausoleums that date back to the decades of 1920 and 1930. Amongst its tombs, burial chambers and mausoleums, have more than 500 buried bodies. Amongst its illustrious guests are the remains of 18 Ecuadorian presidents, 5 vice presidents, 8 dignitaries from the Independence, poets, writers, and other historical characters. The beauty of its construction makes it one of the biggest and most beautiful outdoor museums on the continent.   [caption id="attachment_4151" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud The majority of the mausoleums are truly works of art from the finest Italian marble / Photo: Patrimonial Cemetery in Guayaquil.[/caption]  

8) The Inhotim de Brumadinho Institute

Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Inhotim de Brumadinho houses a complex of museums with a series of pavilions and galleries with works of art and sculptures exhibited outdoors offering a new model far from those of urban museums. On one hand, this artistic complex has entire galleries dedicated to contemporary names, like Adriana Varejão and Tunga. And, on the other hand, it has a tropical park with a botanical garden of approximately 5 thousand species. Since its foundation, in 2006, it has received more than 2.5 million visits. The Inhotim experience is associated greatly with the development of a spatial relationship between art and nature, that allows artists to create and exhibit their artwork under unique conditions. The spectator is invited to visit gardens, forest landscapes, and rural environments, losing themselves amongst lakes, trails, mountains, and valleys, establishing an active experience within the space.     [caption id="attachment_4131" align="aligncenter" width="675"]Musées en plein air en Amérique du Sud The Inhotim Institute is one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Brazil and is considered the largest center of outdoor art in Latin America / Source[/caption]

Why is it worth visiting these outdoor museums?

The truth is that South America is much more than beautiful views and warm-hearted people, it also has spaces full of the most sublime art that can easily compete with museums from any other part of the world. Discover it for yourself! Click here to book tours and activities in South America!
 
By: Nathaly Bosch, Venezuelan Social Communicator. Writer in Spanish for Daytours4u.