Pedro Lira

Pedro Francisco Lira Rencoret was born on May 17, 1845, in Santiago. Graduating in law before dedicating his life to fine arts, Lira studied in Paris under Jules-Élie Delaunay, exhibiting at the prestigious Paris Salon where he received honors for his historical canvases.

Returning to Santiago, Lira was the driving force behind the institutional foundation of Chilean art: organizing the Salon of 1884, building the Parthenon of Quinta Normal, and co-founding the National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA). His colossal 1888 historical canvas La fundación de Santiago, depicting Pedro de Valdivia atop Santa Lucía Hill, became the quintessential national visual icon of Chilean history.