Santiago de Chile Museums

National Museum of "Bellas Artes"

Emilio Jequier a Chilean architect designed this amazing palace and museum to replicate the "Petit Palais" in Paris. The building is a work of art itself. The palace known nowadays as houses the Fine Arts Museum is one of the most important in Chile and the oldest in South America. Actually it has divided in two separate museums: "Bellas Artes" and "M.A.C.", though the former half sits directly on Jose Miguel de la Barra. It is the centerpiece of "Parque Forestal". Outside, find ornate architecture of glass domes and metalwork gates. Inside, a breathtaking foyer that opens into the museums separate wings. Inside the stately interior, visitors can find around 2,700 paintings made by foreign and local artists, as well as interesting reproductions, sketches and statues. The works of art made by Chilean artist are located mainly in the second floor that is exclusively dedicated to them. However, for large exhibitions the right wing opens up.

"Bellas Artes" has a tendency to hit or miss periods. The good collections are outstanding; the museum is full of tried and true artists. But some times there are exceptions since the popular tendency of the museum do it lost quality at any exhibitions. 

Sunday is the day that Santiago comes out of hiding to look at art; perhaps because the entry is free. The mostre exhibits are packed and children touch paintings and sculptures as though they were home in their playroom. Earlier in the morning is a good time for go to "Bellas Artes", because there are not much people and you can see the paintings and sculptures without problems.
The museum also hosts a large slide collection and an art library with more than 15,000 units, dossiers and files.
The Museum open Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:50. The admission costs around $1.2 except the Sundays, this day is free. Guided tours are available.

M.A.C. (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo)

It is located in the western half of Bellas Artes and conserve the same style with vaulted, domed, ceilings, inlayed walls and large gallery spaces. The building own actually three floors that are accessible by elevator and stairs. For over half a century it has been the articulating axis of contemporary visual arts, and curator of the valuable artistic cultural heritage it safeguards since its foundation in 1947. The museum belongs to the faculty of finel arts of the university of Chile. Its halls flows smoothly one into the next and the shows tend toward cohesiveness. The simplicity of style is well-known. The walls are painted subtle colors and the light from each gallery invites onlookers to come and see. The inner lobby has approximately 100 feet high so the museum conserves still a intimate feeling.

At present, the Museum's invaluable collection already comprises approximately 2000 art pieces, including paintings, sculptures and various other artistic expressions produced in Chile since the last half of the XIX century including works of  Roberto Mata, Alfredo Jaar, Emilio Pettoruti, Isamu Noguchi and Hundertwasser

The M.A.C. is located in Parque Forestal (the main park in Santiago) behind Bellas Artes, opens from Tuesday to Saturday  between 11:00 to 19:00 and Sundays from 11:00 to 18:00. The admission costs approximately $1.2.

Museum of Pre-Columbian Art

It works in the Palace of the Real Customs and is situated in a historical corner from Santiago to passages of the Seat of Arms. The colonial building was constructed from 1805 to 1807 onto the former school of the Company of Jesus: "the Real Convictorio  School of San Francisco" until 1635 that later will be named" Convictorio  Carolino de Noble"s in 1768. The actual building was built by order of  "Luis Muñoz de Guzman ". At the beginning of Republic here worked  the first museum of  Natural History founded by Claudius Gay. After a fire which destroyed part of the building ; the palace is recovered in 1845 and since this date  hosts the Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian Art. The museum saves a neoclassic style a feature of your designer, the Italian architect Joaquin Toesca .

The building owns 2 inner patios which are surrounded by doric columns . The museum guard a important collection of legacy Pre-Colombian, the major part of her was donated by The foundation Larraine Echenique. The collection includes ceramics, paintings, sculptures, textiles, funeral customs and representations of diseases, beliefs, music and daily life. These objects belong to Andean and Mesoamericans cultures.

MAVI (Visual Arts Museum)

Located neatly into the Plaza Mulato Gil de Castro just off of Merced. MAVI is actually the best modern art gallery which is composed for 6 galleries arranged in 1200 m2. Any part of museum is visible from any point. The Gallery owns a permanent Chilean collection but the museum search to have rotating exhibitions of foreign artist From Spain to Uruguay, lithograph to wood carvings, the breadth and scope of the exhibitions is rivaled perhaps only by Bellas Artes. However, with white walls and a simple glass and white concrete architecture, the art is always the center of focus.

The Archeological Museum of Santiago is attached to the MAVI, which has got more than 3000 artifacts belong Chilean tribes including stonework's, textiles and jewelry. Note that you can enter into the two museums for the same prize. Besides the Plaza" Mulato Gil de Castro" has a great variety of restaurants, boutiques, antique markets and libraries.
The museum opens from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 18:30, admission costs $2.00 approximately.

National Museum of Natural History

It was founded 170 years ago the museum is the oldest of your kind in South America.This museum won several awards for your prestigious collection. It works in The "Quinta Normal" (present location) since 1876. It holds all that stuffy, clay plaster eclecticism that the world has come to love in natural history museums. Into the 2 floors of the museum is exhibited the life of the Chilean man since the first days until today.

The collection includes ancient fossils of cetaceans, mammals and reptiles, the most impressive belong to a whale, which is around by other stuffed animals of all sorts. Besisdes documentary shows and professional classes are currently available. The institution also offers courses in environmentalism and archaeology.

The building is located at Castilla 787 inside "Parque Quinta Normal" and open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:30, Sundays and holidays from 12:00 to 17:30.

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