Located in the historic Palace of the Exhibition, on March 10, 1961, the permanent exhibition halls were officially inaugurated. The museum houses collections that explain the history of Peruvian art: pre-Columbian, colonial, 19th and 20th century and contemporary art. It also houses collections of photography, colonial and republican silverware.
Discover the Lima art museum very close to the historic center of the city, one of the most visited museums by tourists and locals.
The MALI Lima is located inside the old Exhibition Palace, a building of great historical value for hosting the first major public exhibition in Peru, later renovated in 2015 to expand its exhibition halls.
The old building of the Lima art museum was built in the neo-Renaissance style, its design is due to the Italian architect Antonio Leonardi.
This museum is a very touristy option that is recommended to be included in the agenda of things to do in Lima.
The MALI Lima houses a collection of 17,000 works of Peruvian art in the rooms of pre-Columbian, colonial, republican, textile, photography, silver, modern and drawing art. Only the area renovated in 2015 has 1,200 works of the global.
The collection of the Lima art museum began with the acquisition of the most complete set of works by the Peruvian painter Carlos Baca-Flor in Paris, from there it was expanded over the years.
The architecture of its facilities belongs to a period of history in Lima that is worth keeping, both outside and inside.
The collections of a museum are never closed, since neither the definitions of art nor what is considered relevant in its history remain fixed in time. Each generation brings new interpretations of the past, and finds new elements of identification with the present. Hence the enormous importance of public collections, as collections that allow society to imagine its past and project itself into the future.
1954: PATRONAGE OF THE ARTS
The Patronage of the Arts is founded, with the aim of promoting culture and giving the country an art museum.
1955: CARLOS BACA-FLOR COLLECTION
The Arts Board, with the support of the government and private companies, acquires the collection of the painter Carlos Baca Flor.
The Municipality of Metropolitan Lima transfers the old building of the Palace of the Exhibition to the Board of Arts for 50 years.
1956: THE PALACE OF THE EXHIBITION
The Mayor of Lima, Héctor García Ribeyro, officially handed over the "Palace of the Exhibition" to the Board of Arts. A Swedish team prepares the museum plan, the first of its kind in Peru.
SEPTEMBER 16, 1957: GREAT FRENCH EXHIBITION
The great French Exhibition was inaugurated, an exhibition on the industry and culture of that country. After its closure, work began on the installation and adaptation of the building to house the museum.
OCTOBER 1957: RESTORATION OF THE PALACE
Inspection visit by President Manuel Prado to the restoration work on the premises, in the company of Carlos Neuhaus Ugarteche and Jorge Basadre.
1959: "IGNACIO MERINO" MUNICIPAL PINACOTECA COLLECTION
The collection of the "Ignacio Merino" Municipal Art Gallery is given on extended loan to the museum.
1960: JOSE GUADALUPE POSADA
Manuel Cisneros Sánchez donates to the museum a set of 35 engravings by the Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada.
1961: PRADO MEMORY DONATION
The Prado and Peña Prado families donate to the museum the collection formed by the intellectual Javier Prado at the beginning of the 20th century.
1961: 3,000 YEARS OF ART IN PERU
President Manuel Prado Ugarteche inaugurates the permanent rooms with the exhibition "3,000 years of art in Peru" on the second floor of the Exhibition Palace.
1961: WALDEMAR SCHRÖDER
Significant donations from Anita Fernandini de Naranjo, Alicia Lastres de la Torre, José Antonio de Lavalle, Pedro de Osma and Waldemar Schroeder Mendoza are included.
1966: RESTORATION
The restoration laboratory is implemented and begins to function
1969: JUAN LEPPIANI COLLECTION
Carmela Leppiani offers a donation of nearly one hundred works by the artist Juan Leppiani.
1973: CULTURAL HERITAGE
The Palace of the Exhibition is declared Cultural Patrimony of the Nation.
1974: LITTLE ARTISTS
The Education area is created, beginning with the "Little Artists" course.
1978: MANUEL CISNEROS SANCHEZ COLLECTION
Teresa Blondet de Cisneros delivers to the museum a first set of works from the Manuel Cisneros Sánchez collection.
1986: AUDITORIUM AND LIBRARY
Delivery of the auditorium and the library, upon completion of the remodeling of the first floor of the museum.
1988: CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION WORKSHOP
The conservation workshop begins its activities thanks to special funding from the Fort Foundation.
1990: MANUEL CZECH SOLARI COLLECTION
The legacy of works by Manuel Checa Solari is presented.
1993: FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM
Creation of the Friends of the Museum Program (PAM) with the purpose of fostering a closer link between society and the museum.
1994: RAFAEL LEMOR COLLECTION
The collector Rafael Lemor donates to the museum an important set of works of modern and contemporary art.
1995: LIFE MEMBERS
Support is requested from artists to consolidate the collection of contemporary art.
The donating artists are incorporated as life members of the Lima Art Museum.
1995: 30 ARTISTS FOR THE ART MUSEUM
Exhibition opening: 30 artists for the Art Museum. Donation Rafael Lemor.
1995: IRON PANCHO
Thanks to the generous collaboration of a group of donors, an important set of watercolors by Pancho Fierro is acquired.
1996: PROCUREMENT COMMITTEE
The Acquisitions Committee of the Patronage of the Arts is established, under the Presidency of Jaime Valentín Coquis.
1996: ANNUAL AUCTION
The museum's first Annual Auction is held.
JANUARY 9, 1997: 19TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION
The museum's photography collection begins with the exhibition "Records of the territory. The first decades of photography, 1860–1880".
OCTOBER 20, 1997: 20TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION
Inauguration of the exhibition "Documents: Three decades of photography in Peru (1960-1990)", with which the collection of contemporary photography begins.
1998: COMODATO
A new building loan agreement is signed for a further 30 years.
The program "Recovering the works of the Museum" is created
1999: INTERSCHOOL COMPETITION
The first MALI Interschool Art Contest is held.
2001: ART IN PERU
The book "Art in Peru. Works from the collection of the Lima Art Museum" is presented.
2001: THE RECOVERY OF MEMORY
With Fundación Telefónica, the exhibition "The recovery of memory. The first century of photography in Peru 1842-1942" is inaugurated, which allows the museum's photographic collections to be strengthened.
2001: SILVERWARE COLLECTION
The acquisition of an important selection of pieces from the silverware collection of Luisa Álvarez Calderón is completed.
2003: COLLECTION OF PRE-COLUMBINE TEXTILES
Value enhancement of the pre-Columbian textile collection.
MALI becomes worthy of the Ambassador's Fund of the United States Embassy, thus financing the project for the conservation of the fabric collection.
2003: SILVERS ROOM
The silverware room is inaugurated under the auspices of Compañía de Minas Buenaventura.
2004: 50 YEARS
Celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Foundation of the Arts Board and Serpost issues a commemorative postage stamp.
The Higher Pedagogical Institute of MALI is created.
2005: VALUE OF WORKS ON PAPER
The Mapfre Foundation of Spain grants MALI the 1st García Viñolas Aid to launch the Project for the cataloging and conservation of the collection of drawings, engravings and watercolors.
2005: ART TO LEARN
Fundación Telefónica and MALI develop the Art to Learn program, which seeks to contribute to teaching children and young people about the history of art.
2006: JUAN BAUTISTA AND CARLOS VERME PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM
Opening of the new Juan Bautista and Carlos Verme Photography Room.
2007: FIRST AUCTION
The first MALI Summer Auction and Party is held.
2007: CAAC
The Contemporary Art Acquisitions Committee is established, under the direction of Jorge Basadre Brazzini.
2007: OSCAR RODRIGUEZ RAZZETTO COLLECTION
The acquisition of an important set of pre-Columbian ceramics from the Óscar Rodriguez Razzetto succession is completed.
2007: DRAWING AND CUSTOMS ROOM
The Drawing and Costumbrismo Room is inaugurated, thanks to the support of the Custer Hallett family.
2008: PRE-COLUMBIAN TEXTILES ROOM
The construction work of a new Pre-Columbian Textiles Room is completed thanks to the valuable contribution of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the textile companies Compañía Industrial Nuevo Mundo, Creditex and Tejidos San Jacinto.
2008: PALACE RENOVATION
MALI temporarily closes its doors to undertake an ambitious infrastructure renovation project, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, through the National Copesco Plan.
2009: OPEN CENTER 09
Alta Tecnología Andina-ATA, Fundación Telefónica and the Lima Art Museum invited artists residing in Latin America to present site-specific projects in the Historic Center of Lima with the aim of reflecting on the role of art in public space.
2010: FIRST FLOOR
The MALI reopens the first stage of its comprehensive renovation project with new infrastructure and temporary exhibitions.
2010: PORTRAITS
The renovated MALI was the setting chosen by the Peruvian photographer Mario Testino to exhibit for the first time in Lima a selection of his artistic work.
2010: THE FUNERALS OF ATAHUALPA
In co-organization with the Congress of the Republic of Peru, MALI presented the exhibition "A Recovered History: The Funerals of Atahualpa de Luis Montero" where the public could directly see the work of the restorers and follow the process step by step.
FEBRUARY 15, 2011: MALI ON SITE. PACKAGE
Premiere of the medium-length film Bulto, at the ING del MALI Auditorium. This film is a project that was part of the MALI in situ program, which invited artists of different nationalities to present works that interact with specific spaces inside and outside the museum building.
2012: OPEN CENTER 12
Alta Tecnología Andina - ATA, Fundación Telefónica, the Lima Art Museum - MALI and the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima presented five artistic projects in the Historic Center of Lima as part of Open Center 2012. Spaces such as the Paseo de los Héroes Navales, the Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor and Parque de la Democracia were the settings for works conceived by artists such as Teresa Burga, Raimond Chaves and Gilda Mantilla, Elio Martuccelli, Santiago Roose; and an international guest artist: Héctor Zamora.
2012: GOOGLE ART PROJECT
The MALI becomes part of the important list of invited institutions, becoming the only museum in Peru to participate in this important online cultural dissemination initiative that allows virtually knowing part of its collection.
JANUARY 7, 2014: MALI ONLINE. ONLINE COLLECTION
Thanks to this online platform, users from all over the world can find images and information on more than ten thousand works in our collection.
2015: SECOND FLOOR
After an intense process of remodeling the second floor of the Exhibition Palace thanks to financing from the COPESCO National Mincetur Plan, in September 2015 the museum reopened its permanent exhibition halls with a new museography and a journey that spans 3,000 years. Peruvian art history.
APRIL 13, 2015: CHAVIN
The Chavín exhibition received more than 6,000 visitors in its first weekend open to the public, making it the most viewed in MALI during its first days, surpassing the Portraits of Mario Testino exhibition in 2010
2016: MEETING TOWARDS THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN AMAZON FUND
This initiative was supported by the Goethe Institut and was organized by Gredna Landolt and Sharon Lerner. Aspects related to the articulation of an Amazon axis within the MALI collection, the narratives around the Amazon and the challenges in terms of conservation were discussed.
JANUARY 23, 2016: MALI IN QUECHUA
As part of this initiative, MALI has begun the translation of its wall texts into other languages, until now only available in Spanish and English. After hard work by specialists César Itier and Pablo Landeo, these can now be consulted in Quechua. With this, the MALI becomes the first museum in Lima to offer its wall texts in this language of such historical and social importance for our country.
APRIL 16, 2016: ARCH
The Lima Art Museum and the Daniel Giannoni Photographic Archive, in agreement with the Ministry of Culture, present the Digital Archive of Peruvian Art –ARCHI–, a new digital initiative carried out thanks to the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and the the Swiss Embassy in Lima
May 23, 2016: THE VISION OF THE VANQUISHED
The Lima Art Museum acquired -with funds from the arteBA fair- the video 'The vision of the vanquished' (2013) from the Vision Institute Gallery. This cinematographic piece belonging to the Colombian Carlos Motta, is the last part of the Nefandus trilogy, in which the artist explores the homoerotic imaginary in pre-Hispanic America.
June 25, 2016: QUIPUS COLLECTION
The Lima Art Museum and the Temple Radicati-UNMSM Foundation formalized a collaboration agreement, through which the custody of one of the largest quipus collections in Peru, gathered by the researcher Carlo Radicati di Primeglio (Turin , 1914 – Lima, 1990).
2017: NEW WING OF CONTEMPORARY ART
The project for the new Contemporary Art Wing of the Lima Art Museum won the important International Spanish Architecture Award 2017, awarded by the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain.
2017: NASCA
The Lima Art Museum, the Rietberg Museum (Switzerland) and the BCP Credit Bank present “NASCA”, the largest exhibition dedicated to this fascinating and enigmatic pre-Hispanic culture.
2018: PATRICIA PHELPS DE CISNEROS COLLECTION
The Lima Art Museum receives the donation of an important set of contemporary art that is added to the museum's collection. This is a series of works by artists from the region that come to the museum thanks to a donation from the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC), a pioneering institution in the dissemination and enhancement of art from the region.
2018: PORTRAITS WITH HISTORY
Among the latest acquisitions, an important donation stands out: the portraits of husband and wife Agustín López and Micaela Vilela y Castro, painted in Piura in 1853 by the Quito artist José Ildefondo Pérez de la Puebla (1819-1861). Both paintings have caused a singular impact, not only because they are the grandparents of the great writer Enrique López Albújar (1872-1966), but also because they are evidence of an interesting case of republican social mobility.
2019: ARCOMADRID
On the occasion of ARCOmadrid, the most important contemporary art fair in Spain, MALI presented three exhibitions in three key places in the city. The central Fundación Telefónica space welcomed the Nasca culture, while the Reina Sofía Art Center did the same with avant-garde networks. Amauta and Latin America, 1926-1930, and the Matadero Cultural Center presented Amazonías.
2019: CUTTING EDGE NETWORKS
Avant-garde networks: Amauta and Latin America, 1926-1930 is the first international exhibition dedicated to Amauta from the perspective of visual arts and has the invaluable collaboration of the José Carlos Mariátegui Archive. After its successful presentation at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, the exhibition arrived at MALI to then continue its itinerary to Mexico and the United States.
2019: CHRISTIANE LEFEBVRE COLLECTION
MALI received the generous donation of 104 pieces of different types that includes chuspas, ponchos, llicllas and blankets. The Lefebvre collection includes some fabrics that can be dated to the 18th century, although most were produced throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to its quality, diversity and age, it is an unparalleled complex in the country.
2020: ARCHI TO LEARN
Joint initiative of MALI and Fundación Telefónica. The platform includes free downloadable educational resources to complement the teaching-learning process in the classroom, incorporating the analysis of works of art as a teaching resource.
It was built between 1870 and 1871 during the government of José Balta. It is a precursor building in Latin America, as it is one of the earliest and most important works made with the new iron construction technique. Projected in the neo-renaissance style, its design and construction are due to the Italian architect Antonio Leonardi. The manufacture of the columns, made of iron and imported from Europe, is attributed to the Eiffel house. Surrounded by statues, gardens and a zoo, the Palace was the heart of one of the most important urban projects of the last century, following the example of the European universal exhibitions.
Currently, it is part of one of the most dynamic and busy areas of the city, where a large and heterogeneous public converges. Due to its importance, the Palace was declared by the National Institute of Culture - INC, historical monument and Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 1973.
The Exhibition Palace, a building that houses the Lima Art Museum – MALI, is one of the most beautiful examples of eclectic architecture in Lima. Conceived and built as the venue for the first major public exhibition in our country, the "Great Exhibition of Arts, Sciences and Industries", held on the occasion of the fifty years of independence, is easily adapted to the functions of the museum, since It was built expressly for exhibition purposes.
1869
President José Balta orders the construction of the building to house the Lima Exposition.
1872
The Palace of the Exhibition is inaugurated in July, on the occasion of the "Great Exhibition of Arts, Sciences and Industries"
1872 — 1879
Headquarters of the Society of Fine Arts.
1880 — 1883
Pacific War. The building serves first as a blood bank and later as a barracks for Chilean troops.
1889
In August, the State ceded the building to the Provincial Council of Lima.
1905 — 1935
Headquarters of the National Museum of History and the Ministry of Public Works. It then serves the Chamber of Deputies, the Directorate of Traffic and Filming, the Ministry of Agriculture and, finally, as the seat of the Municipality of Lima, after its building burned down in November 1923.
1955 — 1956
The Municipality of Lima cedes the building to the Patronato de las Artes as a renewable loan to serve as an art museum. The cultural activities of the Museum begin.
1956
With the technical advice of Alfred Westholm and Hans Asplund, UNESCO's special envoys, a comprehensive project for the restoration and enhancement of the building was drawn up, carried out by the architects José García Bryce and Héctor Velarde, and the engineer Ricardo Valencia.
1957
The initial stage of restoration of the building is inaugurated, backed by the Peruvian State and the French government, on the occasion of a major exhibition on French industry and culture.
1961
Official inauguration of the Lima Art Museum, on March 10, with the opening of its permanent exhibition halls.
1973
The INC declares the Palace of the Exhibition historical monument and, for being the seat of a museum, Cultural Patrimony of the Nation.
In 1954, a small group of 25 businessmen and intellectuals formed an association called the Patronato de las Artes with the aim of promoting culture and art in Peru. His main objective was the foundation of an art museum in the country, which could fill one of the great voids that existed then.
In support of the initiative to create an art museum in the city, in 1954 the Municipality of Lima ceded the former Palace of the Exhibition to the Patronage of the Arts. With the support of UNESCO, the architect Hans Asplund and the museologist Alfred Westholm formulated the first modern project for a Peruvian museum, with the collaboration of the architects Héctor Velarde and José García Bryce. The initial stage of restoration of the building, supported by the Peruvian State and the French government, was inaugurated in 1957, on the occasion of a major exhibition on French industry and culture. Finally, on March 10, 1961, the Lima Art Museum was officially inaugurated. President Manuel Prado, on behalf of the Prado and Peña Prado families, delivered to the patronage the valuable donation that constitutes the Prado Memory, formed at the beginning of the 20th century by the illustrious intellectual Javier Prado y Ugarteche. This legacy allowed the Board of Trustees to imagine the possibility of forming a panorama of art in Peru, from pre-Columbian times to the beginning of the 20th century, and continues to form the core of the museum's collections to this day.
Main objectives defined in the founding Statute of the Patronage of the Arts:
The museum offers bilingual guided tours at the following times:
Rates include admission to all MALI exhibition halls:
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