Museum of Fine Arts
In 1879, the sculptor José Miguel Blanco published an article in the Chilean magazine in which, inspired by the European model, he observed the need to create a Museum of Fine Arts in Chile, in order to collect works that were scattered in various institutional . His concern was taken care of and on September 18, 1880, under the presidency of Aníbal Pinto, the National Museum of Paintings was founded, which was installed in the high places of the National Congress.
Its first director was the painter Juan Mochi. However, the activities of the Museum could not coordinate with those of the Congress, so in 1887, the National Museum of Paintings had to move to the ‘Parthenon’, building located in the Fifth Normal of Agriculture, built by the Artistic Union, founded by Pedro Lira and Luis Dávila. The government acquired the property in order to hold annual art exhibitions and from then on, the institution was renamed the Museum of Fine Arts.
