MALI - Lima Art Museum

The Exhibition Palace, a building that houses the Lima Art Museum - MALI, is one of the most beautiful examples of Lima's eclectic architecture. Conceived and built as the venue for the first major public exhibition in our country, the "Great Exhibition of Arts, Sciences and Industries", held on the occasion of fifty years of independence, is easily adapted to the functions of the museum, since It was built expressly for exhibition purposes. It was built between the years 1870 and 1871 during the government of José Balta. It is a precursor building in Latin America, as it is one of the earliest and most important works made with the new iron construction technique. Projected in the neo-Renaissance style, its design and construction are due to the Italian architect Antonio Leonardi. The manufacture of the columns, made of iron and imported from Europe, is attributed to the Eiffel house. Surrounded by statues, gardens and a zoo, the Palace was the heart of one of the most important urban projects of the last century, following the example of the European universal exhibitions.