Palacio de la Exposición

The Palacio de la Exposición is a building on Colon Avenue in downtown Lima, Peru. It was constructed in the 19th century with the Park of the Exposition to house the International Exposition of Lima in 1872. Since 1957, it has been home to the Lima Art Museum.

Facade of the Palacio de la Exposición.
Engraving of 1872 showing Frenchified neoclassical architecture of the main facade of the Palacio de la Exposición of Lima.
Exterior of left lateral and posterior parts of the Palacio de la Exposición with statues of animals in its grounds.

History

The building was constructed in unison with the Park of the Exposition and was ordered built by president Jose Balta in 1869 for the international exposition[1] that was to take place in Lima in celebration for fifty years of Peruvian independence. The construction of the building took place between 1870 and 1871. The building is of a neo-Renaissance style and was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Leonardi.

Its design was considered a pioneer of its time in South America as it was one of the few buildings constructed of steel.

In July 1872, both the palace and the park were inaugurated and the exposition took place soon after. After the exposition, the palace was home to the Society of Fine Arts. During the War of the Pacific the building loote.[2] After the looting it was used as a hospital and later a garrison for the Chilean army.

In 1889, the Peruvian government ceded the building to the Municipality of Lima. In 1905, the building became home to the National Museum of History and the Ministry of Public Works. Later, throughout different time periods, it was used by the Chamber of Deputies, the Direction of Traffic, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Municipality of Lima.

Art Museum of Lima

In 1954, the Municipality of Lima ceded the building to the Patrons of the Arts civil association for refactioning and remodeling to convert it into an art museum. The Lima Art Museum (Spanish: Museo de Arte de Lima) opened in 1957 while its official inauguration took place in 1961.

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References
  1. "Clásicos de Arquitectura: Palacio de la Exposición / Antonio Leonardi | ArchDaily Perú" (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  2. Chirinos, Maricarmen (2002). En busca del patrimonio perdido (8157 ed.). Diario Correo de Lima. pp. 11–14.

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