This article presents and discusses the differences between the audiences of history, science and art museums, with emphasis on visitors' motivations and expectations. The "discourse" of Museu Paulista visitors will be described in terms of what they liked most and what benefits they felt they have gained with the visit. The article intends to contribute to Brazilian studies on museums' audiences, an area that is still evolving. Audience surveys may help museums to reorganize their programmes according to their mission, but with a clear view of the interests of their present and potential audiences. Initially, this article debates the issue of the museums' typology as the basis for the research hypothesis: whether the visitors' motivations and expectations vary according to museum type. Then, the theoretical references guiding the methodology will be presented, as well as some empirical results. In the last part, the responses of Museu Paulista visitors are described, presenting their interpretation of the museum's exhibitions, from the receiver/audience's point of view. This paper has brought forth many issues for further investigation on museum attendance and visitor's interpretation of exhibitions.
History Museums; Museum Audience; Communication in Museums