National Museum of Visual Arts (Uruguay)
The Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales ( MNAV ) is a museum in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo.
The museum is located in the neighborhood ( barrio ) Parque Rodó in Avenida Tomás Giribaldi 2283, Julio Herrera y Reissig Avenida corner. Founded on December 10, 1911 by Act No. 3932, it was the original name of Museo de Bellas Artes ( Fine Arts Museum ) and was housed in its first year, first in the left wing of the Teatro Solís. However, in the following year the museum moved to a pavilion located on the present site, which was built in the 19th century and formerly the seat of a health exhibition ( Exposicià de Higiene ) was used. Other sources date the origination date of returning to architect Leopoldo J. Tosi building on the 1907.
Over time, a variety of conversions took place, which led, among other things, that the museum was closed from 1952 to 1962 over a period of nearly eleven years. The first reform of the year 1912, with which the building was remodeled for its future use as a museum, initiated architect Alfredo R. Campos. Subsequent structural transformations of 1970 are due to Clorindo Testa. In the 1990s, the garden of the museum was designed by the architect L. Silva Delgado and F. Fabiano.
Founding director of the museum was the painter Domingo Laporte, who held the job until 1928. Since 2010 the artist Enrique Aguerre shall perform the duties of the Director. The museum, which is considered the most important art museum in the country and over 6,000 works of art features, including the largest collection of works by Uruguayan artist. These include, for example, objects of Rafael Barradas, Juan Manuel Blanes, José Cuneo, Pedro Figari, Carlos Federico Sáez or Joaquín Torres García.