Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Pernambuco (MAC-PE)
gratuitoThe Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Pernambuco, MAC-PE, is in Varadouro, in the Historic Site of Olinda, and reopened on June 30, 2026, after ten years closed. It has free admission and a collection of about 2,000 works. It suits those who like art and are looking for an indoor activity.
Part of the guide Olinda
Getting there from Porto de Galinhas
By car it is about 67 to 69 km from Porto de Galinhas, via Recife, between 1 hour and 1 hour 10 minutes without traffic. The museum is at Rua 13 de Maio, 149, in Varadouro, the same neighborhood as the Mosteiro de São Bento.
Hours and admission
It opens Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays, 14:00 to 17:00, with free admission, according to the hours announced at the reopening in June 2026. Monday does not appear in the opening hours.
What to see
The central building was built in 1765 as an ecclesiastical prison. The museum opened in December 1966, with works donated by Assis Chateaubriand, and holds about 2,000 works and 2,000 documents. At the reopening, about 200 pieces went on display. The long-term exhibition MAC 60 Anos occupies the ground floor and the upper floor, with names such as Bajado, Manuelzinho Araújo, David Hockney and Chang Dai-Chien, and the collection also includes Candido Portinari, Tarsila do Amaral and Francisco Brennand. The annex hosted the temporary exhibition Olinda é de Encantar.
Before you go
The renovation added an elevator and an accessibility platform, as well as air conditioning. In September 2026, the museum launched an audio description project for the collection. It is managed by Fundarpe, part of the Pernambuco state government. For a museum route on the same day, the Museu Regional de Olinda has the same hours and is also free.