Stories and Narrative: History of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lima

History of the Museum of Fine Arts of Lima

On September 18, 1910, the current Palace of Fine Arts was inaugurated, located inside the Forest Park. The building was declared a National Monument on December 30, 1976.

With the presence of the President of the Republic, Mr. Aníbal Pinto, and his Minister of Instruction, Mr. Manuel García de la Huerta, the inauguration of the first National Museum of Fine Arts took place on September 18, 1880.

It functioned at the heights of Congress until 1887 and was later moved to the Quinta Normal de Agricultura.

In May 1901, an architectural competition organized by Ramón Subercaseaux and Alberto Mackenna was held to create a definitive building for the museum. The architect Emilio Jecquier was the winner.

After nine years overcoming difficulties, finally, on September 18, 1910, the current Palace of Fine Arts was inaugurated, located inside the Forest Park. The building was declared a National Monument on December 30, 1976.

The Museum of Fine Arts is the main and most jealous guardian of the national artistic heritage. The 1985 earthquake seriously affected the structure of its building. For this reason, it was currently under repair and closed to the public for a long time.

This building constitutes not only an exhibition place, but also a center of great activity and dissemination of artistic events.

It has about twenty rooms where its permanent collection is exhibited and several where temporary exhibitions are organized, others for audiovisual exhibitions and an auditorium with capacity for 300 people, which is used as a place for conferences and concerts.

National museum of fine arts. Photo: National Museum of Fine Arts

THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS WAS INAUGURATED IN 1910. PHOTO: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Museum works

There are collections that range from the origins of Chilean painting to the latest trends, represented by works of new artistic manifestations.

During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, few paintings were made in Chile. Chilean society and religious orders used to provide themselves with works born in the workshops of Quito, Lima or Cuzco.

In the Museum of Fine Arts they have preserved such relevant works as “Escape from Egypt”; by Melchor Pérez de Olguín, “Patrocinio de San José”; by Gaspar Miguel de Berrio; “Dolorosa” and “Fray Pedro Bardesi and the poor”, by anonymous Chileans.

After Independence, foreign artists were the ones who gave impetus to painting.

In the middle of the century, a first generation of national artists emerged, at first highly influenced by European precursors, such as Carlos Wood, an English sailor born in Liverpool, England, and arrived in Chile in 1819; Juan Mauricio Rugendas, Bavarian draftsman, painter and engraver, who set foot on Chilean soil in 1834; Raimundo Monvoisin, born in France, who arrived in the country in 1842; Ernesto Charton, arrived in 1844 and Giovatto Molinelli, who visited our homeland between the years 1859-1861. There are works of the vast majority of them in the museum.

Among the great masters of Chilean painting are, among others, "The Letter" by Pedro Lira; "The Merchant's Pearl" by Alfredo Valenzuela Puelma; “Riberas del Mapocho”, by Alberto Valenzuela Llanos; “Calle de Limache”, by Juan Francisco González.

The Generation of 13 is represented by artists such as Agustín Abarca, with “El Solita-rio”; Exequiel Plaza and “La Fuente”; Arturo Gordon, with “Novena del Niño Dios”; Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor and “Galician Scene”; Abelardo Bustamante with “Head of Study”, among other works.

There are complete collections of the Generation of '40 and the latest trends, including works by Roberto Matta, Nemesio Antúnez, Pedro Lobos, Henriette Pettit, Ricardo Irarrázaval.

In addition to the valuable collection of Chilean paintings, important collections of renowned foreign artists have also been exhibited, such as: Corot, Dupré, Boudin, Murillo, Teniers, Rembrandt; Rubens, Wittgenstein, Picasso, Tanguy, Brauner, Lam and others.

And just as painting forms an important part of the museum's collections, samples of Chilean sculpture, valuable furniture, tapestries and art objects also occupy a prominent place.

Painting Gallery and others