Museum of Fine Arts Montevideo, all the details and history of one of the most important museums in the city.

Known as the Juan Manuel Blanes Museum, it was founded in 1930, commemorating the centenary of the country’s Independence. Juan Manuel Blanes was a national painter, and that date marked the 100th anniversary of his birth, hence its name.

Part of the system of Museums of the Municipality of Montevideo, it was expanded and acquired by the Municipal Government.

With architectural characteristics typical of the 19th century, it was declared a National Historical Monument since 1975, in addition to being a living testimony of the towns where it was built. In 1870, the engineer Juan Alberto Capurro designed a Palladian villa for the owner of the property, Dr. Juan Bautista Raffo. Later, it became the property of the Government, until it became the Museum that you can visit today.

The nobility of its architecture, as well as its historical and environmental significance, make up a cultural value that is added to its artistic heritage, enhancing and integrating these heritage areas. Since 1940, it has received award-winning works that are exhibited in its Municipal Hall, opening the doors to contemporary art and developing its current collection. Likewise, since 1996 archives of national artists have been created for their preservation.

Using the testimonies of the past, in order to carry out a critical rereading of modern history with a contemporary perspective, it seeks to address an aesthetic diversity as a tool for social inclusion.

Its mission is to conserve and acquire pieces of art that are consistent with its institutional historical profile, exhibiting them according to scripts that invite reflection on the different aesthetics developed in artistic culture and on positions regarding social problems, cultural identity and policies.

For this reason, it has 3 programming areas:

The Area whose destination is the collections of Juan Manuel Blanes and Pedro Figari. Although the rooms are permanent, there is also a periodic rotation of the works.

Another area is for temporary exhibitions of national art, with a historical profile, from one to three artists or covering certain chronological periods or specific movements.

The last area is for temporary exhibitions of national and foreign contemporary art, generating a dialogue between the present and the past, contemporary artists are exhibited without neglecting the historical profile and seeking a critical approach between the different artists.

The museum has two floors in total, on the ground floor it has six exhibition spaces. There you will find the Juan Manuel Blanes Room, the Pedro Figari Room, the Dumas Oroño Room, two rooms that are galleries and a temporary exhibition room. In the Subsoil are the deposits of the museum’s collection. It also has a Cloister for shows, a bookstore and a shop, in addition to the Barradas Cultural Space outside the museum. In this Space, created in 1991, workshops, conferences and a variety of cultural activities are held. Behind the Museum, you will find the famous Japanese Garden of Montevideo, a space that you cannot miss visiting!

As for the building, you will notice a strong influence of the Renaissance style, with beauty and a perfect search for harmony, together with the artistic works, plus the location of the building in perfect harmony with the environment, generating a perfect symbiosis, symmetrical and in a different composition with classical elements such as its ionic columns.

Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 6pm, with free entry. Here is their website for more information.

Without a doubt, you will not regret visiting this place, with so many attractions to offer you! And if you want to know more about the Best Museums in Montevideo, here we leave you more information!

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