Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts

The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts, in Santiago's Parque Forestal, is a major center for Chilean and South American art. Housed in the Beaux-Arts Palace of the Fine Arts, built for Chile's 1910 centennial, the museum displays painting and sculpture from the 19th century onward. The building itself is a landmark, with a glass cupola and a grand central staircase.

Don't miss

• The glass cupola, designed and manufactured in Belgium and installed in 1907, weighs 2,400 kg.
• The grand hall's staircase and balcony, with a high-relief carving of two angels supporting a shield.
• Two Caryatids carved by Antonio Coll y Pi, rising from the balcony.
• The central entrance, modeled after Borromini's false-perspective window reveals from Palazzo Barberini.
• The building's design, inspired by the Petit Palais in Paris, with Neoclassical Second Empire and Baroque Revival styles.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts

Cheapest way inOfficial Tour of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago5★ · 589 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$11 per personSee dates →Most bookedCable Car, Funicular and Sightseeing Bus in Santiago one day4.9★ · 2,731 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$67 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleHorse Riding Tour in the Andes Santiago Chile4.9★ · 39 travelers~3 hoursFrom$185 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The museum is located in Parque Forestal, a landscaped park designed by a gardener trained at Versailles.
• Behind the museum is the Museum of Contemporary Art and the old School of Fine Arts.

A bit of history

Founded in 1880 as the National Painting Museum, it is the oldest art museum in South America. It moved to a building called the Parthenon in 1887 and changed its name. The current palace was inaugurated in 1910 for the centennial of Chilean independence. The building was damaged in the 1960 earthquake and later seismically upgraded; the 2010 earthquake caused only minor damage to exterior elements.