The Open Sky Museum of Valparaíso, Urban art museum in Cerro Bellavista, Valparaíso, Chile.
The Open Sky Museum of Valparaíso consists of 20 numbered murals painted on the retaining walls and house sides of Cerro Bellavista, inaugurated in 1992. A brown metal sign on a grey pole marks the route, its two arms reading "MUSEO" and "CIELO ABIERTO" in white capitals. The works range from abstract and kinetic to impressionist and surrealist styles, among them Mario Carreño's blue cubes at the foot of the Pasteur stairs.
Art students from the Catholic University started the project in 1969 to transform the neighborhood through paintings. After a long pause in its development, the collection was completed in 1991 when the initiative was finally realized.
Each mural is numbered from 1 to 20 and signed by its author, so the route reads as a catalogue: Mario Carreño's blue cubes open the Pasteur stairway, Roberto Matta painted number 10, and number 20 is the oldest, a collective work by art students from 1969. Neighbours have also painted walls among the works, and graffiti covers much of the surface.
Visitors can take the Espíritu Santo funicular from Plaza Victoria and explore the numbered artworks through self-guided walking. The pathways are steep and uneven in places, so wearing comfortable shoes and allowing extra time for exploration is advisable.
The artworks are not housed in a closed building but were created directly on the walls of residents' homes throughout the neighborhood. This integration into everyday living spaces makes the museum an organic part of the quarter's life, visible to both residents and visitors daily.
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