National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago, founded in 1880 - the oldest in South America Art Museum. Initially, it was called the "National Museum of Painting." In 1887, the government acquired the building known as the Parthenon, which was built for the annual art exhibition. The museum moved in and changed its name to the Museum of Fine Arts.

In 1901 the government decided to create an original building for the Museum and School of Fine Arts. The building was built in Forest Park, which spent greening Jorge Enrique Dubois, trained in the school of horticulture of Versailles in France.

The current building of the Palace of Fine Arts was opened on the centenary of Chile's independence in 1910. The project of the museum building area of ​​6,000 square meters has developed a Chilean architect Emilio Dzhekkuer combined neoclassical style with Baroque nouveau. At the end of the palace is the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of Chile, which is the old School of Fine Arts.

The internal layout and facade of the building are modeled on the Small Royal Palace in Paris. The dome that crowns the main hall has been designed and manufactured in Belgium. He was taken in Chile in 1907. Approximate weight of the dome - 115000 Kg, including weight of the glass dome was 2400 kg.

In the central hall of the installed sculptures in marble and bronze, in addition to the collection of samples of ancient sculptures. In the southern wing on the first floor of the exhibited paintings from the collections of European painting. In the halls of the north wing is an exhibition of Chilean art.

The museum has art heritage, consisting of more than 3,000 pieces acquired by purchase, donations and gifts. The museum has the largest collection of sculptures and the second most important collection of paintings in Chile. The museum's collections include the artistic heritage of the country since colonial times: paintings of Italian, Spanish and Flemish artists, a collection of drawings and photographs, and a collection of African sculpture.

The museum has a library specializing in visual arts are kept about 100 000 volumes. The museum organizes temporary exhibitions and organizes educational program with seminars and courses.

The museum building was declared a historical monument in 1976.