The Museum of Modern Art Aloisio Magalhães – MAMAM – works in a building built in the mid-nineteenth century to be the headquarters of Recife International Club, and was also used for several decades of the following century – from the 1930s to the decade of 1960 -, as seat of Recife City Hall. His transformation into an art space took place only in 1981, when Recife Metropolitan Art Gallery was created, the following year renamed Aloisio Magalhães Metropolitan Art Gallery, in honor of the plastic artist, designer and cultural manager from Pernambuco, who died in the year of 1982. In 1997 the house was renovated and, by an act of the City Mayor – law 16.314 / 97 – on July 24, 1997 was transformed into a Museum.
MAMAM was, from its creation until June of 2001. From this date, five museum directors went through: Marcus de Lontra Costa, Marco Polo Guimarães, Moacir dos Anjos, Cristiana Tejo and nowadays, Beth da Matta.
Aiming at becoming a center of reference for the modern and contemporary production of the visual arts, MAMAM, through the divulgation, recording and reflection on the art of the present and its historical references, has contributed to the people cultural formation and to improve Recife institutional and artistic environment of Recife.
The Museum has 3 floors – with 7 exhibition rooms -, Oiticica Aquarium – a place dedicated to small special projects, a specialized in modern and contemporary art library, technical reserve, auditorium, and internal courtyard. In these last two places lectures and book release are carried out, among other actions related to culture and arts – preferably contemporary production – with or without cost to the museum.
The exhibition hall on the ground floor of the museum was intended for medium-term exhibitions (between 6 and 8 months), from the museum’s own collection. The first and second floors are intended for temporary exhibitions that can be proposed by the museum, planned in partnership, or for reception of national and international itinerary relevant exhibitions.