23 Aesthetically Pleasing Museums Where the Architecture is as Stunning as the Art

15. Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Brazil: A UFO Above the Bay

Perched dramatically on a cliffside in Niterói, just outside Rio de Janeiro, this saucer-shaped museum was designed by modernist legend Oscar Niemeyer. It juts out over Guanabara Bay like a futuristic observatory, with panoramic windows offering sweeping views of the ocean and skyline. The structure’s white concrete form and crimson ramp feel more like a sculpture than a building. Inside, minimalist galleries host rotating exhibits of contemporary Brazilian art, but the real draw might be the sensation of floating between sea and sky.