Lima is dotted with numerous art galleries throughout the city, mostly around the Barranco and Miraflores districts. From local artists to international names, Lima’s galleries offer stunning art from all over the world. Since there is no shortage of art spaces to explore, we’ve narrowed it down to five of the best.
One of Lima’s largest museums for contemporary art, MAC showcases 20th as well as 21st century art from both Peruvian and international artists. At any given time, Mac will have at least of two of its three buildings devoted to only one or two artists. After finishing your tour, grab a bite to eat or enjoy a craft beer at the MAC restaurant.
MATE is Barranco’s art gallery dedicated to the great Peruvian photographer Mario Testino, who hails from Lima. The gallery is the largest collection of his work with seven rooms dedicated to his intimate photographs of celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Kate Moss, Orlando Bloom and many more. A room dedicated to Testino’s photographs of Peruvians has recently been added, alongside a space dedicated to guest artists.
This museum houses Lima’s largest collection of photography, paintings, pottery, decorations and artifacts. In addition to pre-Columbian and Colonial art, MALI also has a collection of contemporary Peruvian art. With such a large and diverse selection to navigate, give yourself at least a couple of hours to cover everything.
Enlance is dedicated to the exhibition of Peruvian and Latin American visual artists. The building is a quaint two-storey building, with a very relaxed and slightly unorthodox vibe within. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell whether exhibitions are being set up or removed! Head to this museum to discover up-and-coming artists as well as enjoying the more well-established names.
Being such a large city, it’s not surprising that there’s more than one gallery dedicated to new up-and-coming art in Lima. Founded in 2007, this gallery and the art it holds is relatively new to Peru. With very distinct pieces, the gallery has a flair for exhibiting the most progressive developments in photography, painting and sculpture.
