Costa Rican Museum of Art
Art museum in Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Costa Rican Museum of Art (Spanish: Museo de Arte Costarricense, MAC) is an art museum in San José, Costa Rica. It opened in 1978 and holds a collection of over 6000 artworks.
Museo de Arte Costarricense | |
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| Established | 3 May 1978 |
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| Location | San José, Costa Rica |
| Coordinates | 9°56′07″N 84°05′57″W |
| Type | Art museum |
| Website | mac.go.cr |
| Area | 10,800 m2 (116,300 sq ft)[1] |
History
The building that houses the MAC was originally the terminal building of La Sabana International Airport, which was built in 1937 and opened on 7 April 1940.[2][3] The airport later transitioned to only receiving internal flights, and Juan Santamaría International Airport opened in 1958 for international traffic.[3] In 1974 La Sabana airport closed, and in 1977 the land was dedicated to La Sabana Metropolitan Park.[3]
The MAC opened in the old terminal building on 3 May 1978.[3] In 1986 the building was named "architectural heritage of Costa Rica."[2] It was renovated in the late 2000s, and reopened again in October 2011.[1]
Collection and exhibitions
As of 2011, MAC had a collection of 6000 artworks, but only space to exhibit 150 at a time.[1] Initially the museum focused on acquiring artworks from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, but now its collection includes works up to the present day.[4]
On display in the museum is Francisco Amighetti's 1948 mural Agriculture, commemorating the Costa Rican Civil War.[1][5] The collection also includes works by expressionist painter Teodorico Quirós, abstract painter Lola Fernández, sculptor Juan Rafael Chacón, and a mural by Louis Féron.[1]
The "first major retrospective" of Max Jiménez's work was held at the Museo de Arte Costarricense in 1999.[6] In 2024 the MAC held the first exhibition of Carlos Cruz-Diez's artwork in Central America,[7] as well as an exhibition of artworks depicting the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica.[8]