National Museum of Fine Arts of Santiago (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) description and photos - Chile: Santiago (Topic)

National Museum of Fine Arts of Santiago (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) description and photos - Chile: Santiago. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.

Photo & Description

The National Museum of Fine Arts of Santiago, founded in 1880, is South America's oldest art museum. It was originally called the National Museum of Painting. In 1887, the government purchased a building known as the Parthenon, which was built to host annual art exhibitions. The museum moved there and changed its name to the Museum of Fine Arts.

In 1901, the government decided to create an original building for the museum and the school of fine arts. The building was erected in Forest Park, landscaped by Jorge Enrique Dubois, trained in gardening at the school of Versailles in France.

The current building of the Palais des Beaux-Arts was inaugurated for the centenary of Chile's independence in 1910. The project of the museum building with an area of 6,000 square meters was developed by the Chilean architect Emilio Jekkuer in a combination of neoclassical style with baroque and art nouveau styles. At the end of the palace is the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of Chile, which houses the old School of Fine Arts.

The interior layout and facade of the building are modeled on the Small Royal Palace in Paris. The dome that crowns the central hall was designed and manufactured in Belgium. He was brought to Chile in 1907. The approximate weight of the dome is 115,000 kg, including the weight of the glass of the dome was 2,400 kg.

The central hall contains sculptures in marble and bronze, in addition to a collection of samples of ancient sculptures. The south wing on the ground floor displays paintings from the collection of European paintings. The halls of the north wing house an exposition of Chilean art.

The museum preserves an artistic heritage of more than 3,000 items acquired through purchases, donations and gifts. The museum has the largest collection of sculptures and the second largest collection of paintings in Chile. The museum's collections include the country's artistic heritage from colonial times: paintings by Italian, Spanish and Flemish artists, collections of drawings and photographs, as well as a collection of African sculpture.

The museum has a library specializing in visual arts, which houses about 100,000 volumes. The museum hosts temporary exhibitions and organizes an educational program with seminars and courses.

The museum building was declared a historical monument in 1976.

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Topic: National Museum of Fine Arts of Santiago (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) description and photos - Chile: Santiago.