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Chile Opens First National Contemporary Art Center in Former Cerrillos Airport

institutional · 2026-05-05

Chile has opened its first state-operated contemporary art museum, the Centro Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo Cerrillos, located at the former Cerrillos Airport in Santiago Province. Spanning nearly 4,000 square meters, the facility features exhibition spaces, a library, a digital archive, research laboratories, and storage areas. The opening exhibition, titled "Un’immagine chiamata parola," curated by Camilo Yañez, showcases works from artists including Gonzalo Díaz, Paz Errázuriz, Eugenio Dittborn, Iván Navarro, and Cecilia Vicuña, and will be on display until January. A public search for a director has commenced. The site was donated by Daniel Guggenheim in 1928, served as an airport until 2006, and was handed over to the National Council in 2016. This initiative is part of a cultural strategy revealed by President Michelle Bachelet in May.

Key facts

  • Chile opens its first government-run contemporary art museum, Centro Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo Cerrillos.
  • The museum is located in the former Cerrillos Airport in a commune of 70,000 in Santiago Province.
  • The space covers nearly 4,000 square meters with exhibition halls, library, digital archive, research labs, and storage.
  • Inaugural exhibition 'Un’immagine chiamata parola' curated by Camilo Yañez features Gonzalo Díaz, Paz Errázuriz, Eugenio Dittborn, Iván Navarro, and Cecilia Vicuña.
  • The site was donated by Daniel Guggenheim in 1928, operated as an airport from 1929 to 2006, and transferred to the National Council in 2016.
  • A public competition is underway to select a museum director.
  • The museum is part of a national cultural plan announced by President Michelle Bachelet and Minister Ernesto Ottone in May 2016.
  • The plan added 16 cultural centers in 2017 to 33 existing ones, with future expansion to smaller towns.

Entities

Artists

  • Camilo Yañez
  • Gonzalo Díaz
  • Paz Errázuriz
  • Eugenio Dittborn
  • Iván Navarro
  • Cecilia Vicuña
  • Antonio Arevalo

Institutions

  • Centro Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo Cerrillos
  • National Council of Culture and Arts
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Chile
  • Santiago
  • Cerrillos
  • Santiago Province
  • Valparaíso
  • Parque Bicentenario

Sources