From 16 to 20 September, Marina da Glória hosts the 16th edition of the Rio de Janeiro Art Fair. Dates, exhibitions in Botafogo and three ways to build the day.
Between 16 and 20 September, Marina da Glória hosts ArtRio 2026. The 16th edition of the Rio de Janeiro Art Fair brings together galleries, artists, curators, collectors and visitors across five days.
But ArtRio does not have to end at the fair's exit.
With exhibitions spread across the city, galleries with open doors and a cultural programme running through different neighbourhoods, the event is a good starting point for seeing Rio from another angle. The idea of this route is simple: start with art, pass through Botafogo and let the night decide the rest.
ArtRio is recognised as one of the significant events in the Latin American art calendar. In 2026, the fair again occupies the MAR and TERRA pavilions of AXIA Marina da Glória.
In the TERRA Pavilion, the PANORAMA programme mainly gathers galleries with larger stands. In the MAR Pavilion, projects of different scales and languages come in.
You can visit the fair to see trends, follow artists, talk to galleries or simply look around calmly. Nobody has to turn the outing into an oral exam in art history.
The programme runs from 16 to 20 September 2026.
Anyone planning to visit should check ticket availability on the official channels. Sales may close depending on capacity, and prices or ticket tiers may change up to the date of the event.
ArtRio takes place at AXIA Marina da Glória, on Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, no number, in Glória.
For those travelling by metro, the official guidance is to get off at Glória station and walk to the footbridge near Rua do Russel. The venue also has parking subject to capacity and a bike rack. Pets are not allowed at the event.
If the plan is to carry on after the fair, it is worth considering a ride app, taxi or public transport. That way the trip between Glória and Botafogo becomes part of the outing instead of a negotiation with the car park.
During ArtRio 2026 week, different cultural spaces across the city host exhibitions, openings and special programmes. Botafogo holds a few stops that can be combined with the fair.
Pinakotheke presents a group show revisiting the historic Salão Preto e Branco held in 1954. Curated by Shannon Botelho, the exhibition gathers 61 works by 50 artists.
The selection recovers a moment when Brazilian artists, facing shortages and the high cost of imported materials, took part in the III Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna using only black and white materials and paints. On show from 11 September to 21 November 2026.
Athena opens two exhibitions the day before ArtRio begins. Onde brilha a nossa luz, by Renata Leoa, fills the Sala Cubo with a new series of paintings devoted to Amazonian landscapes.
In the same gallery, Sair do próprio caminho e deixar o mundo entrar, by Rafael Alonso, gathers paintings made in the artist's new studio. The house, the backyards and the changing architecture of Rio's suburbs become part of his field of observation.
On Praia de Botafogo, FGV Arte presents Eu chorei rios: arte dos povos originários da América. Curated by Glicéria Tupinambá and Paulo Herkenhoff, the exhibition gathers Indigenous artists from different territories across the Americas. The show stays open until the last day of ArtRio 2026.
After a few hours among paintings, installations, sculptures and videos, the body tends to make a fairly objective observation: it is time to eat. That is when the route reaches Surreal.
Set in a townhouse on Rua Paulo Barreto, Surreal mixes signature cooking, house cocktails, music and references that cross cinema and the visual arts. On the walls, Salvador Dalí, Frida Kahlo, John Travolta and characters from different universes share the same territory. On the menu, the logic stays slightly out of line.
You do not need to visit ArtRio to understand Surreal. But after a day surrounded by works that shift the way you look, a few things in the townhouse seem to have even more effect.
Start the day with the exhibitions at Galeria Athena or FGV Arte. Then head to Marina da Glória, where ArtRio stays open until 9pm.
On the way out, go to Botafogo and end the night at Surreal. On Thursdays and Fridays the house stays open later and keeps a music programme running through different rhythms and formats.
Visit Pinakotheke in the morning, use the break to wander around Botafogo and head to ArtRio from 2pm. The fair closes at 8pm. After that, Surreal stays open straight through until 1am.
Start at FGV Arte, head to ArtRio during the afternoon and finish the route in Botafogo. The fair ends at 8pm, while Surreal runs until midnight. Enough time for dinner, a drink and leaving Monday to sort out its own problems.
Groups of up to six people can book through the online system. For larger groups, bookings are handled on WhatsApp. On live music nights there may be a cover charge: check the programme and prices for the night before visiting.
ArtRio puts different ideas, times and languages in the same space. Botafogo does something similar, only without needing a pavilion. After Marina da Glória, cross the neighbourhood's galleries and step into the townhouse on Rua Paulo Barreto.
Book your table
