Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts

Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Established	1880
Location	Santiago, Chile
Website	http://www.mnba.cl/

The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts (Spanish: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes or MNBA), located in Santiago, Chile, is one of the major centers for Chilean art and for broader South American art. Established in 1880 (making it the oldest in South America), the organization is managed by the "Artistic Union" (Unión Artística).

The current building, the "Palace of the Fine Arts" (el Palacio de Bellas Artes), dates to 1910 and commemorates the first centennial of the Independence of Chile. It was designed by the Chilean architect Emile Jéquier in a full-blown Beaux-arts style and is situated in the Parque Forestal of Santiago. Behind it is located the Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo) of the University of Chile, in which is also located the old School of Fine Arts (Escuela de Bellas Artes).

The museum was officially founded on September 18, 1880, and originally named Museo National de Pinturas (National Painting Museum).

The president of Chile, Don Aníbal Pinto, the minister Don Manuel García de la Huerta, Colonel Marcos Maturana and the sculptor José Miguel Blanco together managed the creation of the museum, whose first director was the painter Juan Mochi.

In 1887 the government acquired a building known as "the Parthenon", which had been constructed by the Artistic Union for the purpose of hosting annual art expositions. The museum moved there and changed its name to Museum of Fine Art.

In 1901 the government decided to create an original building for the Museum and School of Fine Arts, and Emilio Jéquier was selected. The building was built in the Parque Forestal, a landscaping work by Jorge Enrique Dubois, who had been trained in the gardening school of Versailles in France.