National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba, Art museum in La Habana Vieja, Cuba.
The National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba occupies two buildings near the Paseo del Prado. The Palacio de Bellas Artes, opened in 1954 and designed by Rodríguez Pichardo, is a pale stone building with a central tower, arched windows and a roofline balustrade; it holds Cuban art. The Palacio del Centro Asturiano, built in 1927 by Manuel Bustos, houses European and ancient art.
Founded by presidential decree on 23 February 1913 as the Museo Nacional de la República, with architect Emilio Heredia as first director, it began as an encyclopedic museum with sections for archaeology, anthropology, natural history and fine arts. It moved from the Colón Market to the Quinta de Toca in 1917, closed until 20 May 1919, and later occupied the Casa Aguiar for three decades. Antonio Rodríguez Morey, director from 1918 until his death in 1967, pushed its specialization in fine arts.
The Cuban art collection displays works by artists such as René Portocarrero and Wifredo Lam, who shaped the island's artistic identity. These pieces reflect the varied creative movements that influenced local expression across generations.
The museum occupies two separate buildings: the Palace of Fine Arts for Cuban works and the Asturian Center Palace for international collections. Visitors should allow time to explore both locations for a complete visit.
The collection exceeds 45,000 pieces, including ancient art from Greece, Rome and Egypt. A library of more than 120,000 volumes and the Antonio Rodríguez Morey information centre, a national reference for visual arts, operate inside the museum. A third building, the former Cuartel de Milicias, serves administrative functions.
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