Ordered in 1819 by D. John VI to Granjean de Montigny, architect of the French Artistic Mission, the work is a historical document. It means that’s the first neoclassic style registered in Rio de Janeiro, trend that would come to make it popular, giving to the marked city for the colonial houses a cosmopolitan tone like the European.

In 1984, the current calling of França-Brasil house started to be drawn, schedule Brazilian and French resources in the next year to restore the construction and rescue the archaeological characteristics projected by Montigny. The steps to the creation of the Cultural Center and the restructuring work crossed 1980s.

In March 29th, 1990, it was inaugurated the French-House.

Between 90s and 2008, the França-BRasil developed an ecletic program, with expositors who have a variability of themes, exhibition of different themes and a good consecrated artist, moderns and contemporary, like Juan Miró, Glauco Rodrigues, Antonio Henrique Amaral, Irmãos Campana and Nike de Saint Phalle. From 2008, after an important process of structure work and restoration, França-Brasil house took on a new institutional mission and curatorial line, focusing on art and contemporary cultures. Exponents of the national and international visual arts, like Iole de Freitas, Laura lima, Miguel Rio Branco, Cristina Iglesias and Christian Boltanski has already occupied Casa França-Brasil with individual exposition.