History
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 Jose 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 Jecquier 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.
Upon the completion of the building, it was officially inaugurated on September 21, 1910, as part of an International Exposition which formed part of the celebrations for the centennial of independence. The Museum has remained in the "Palace" ever since.
Read more about this topic: Chilean National Museum Of Fine Arts
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