Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

The Cuban section of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Fine Arts Museum, Trocadero, e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, tel. 07/863-9484 or 862-0140, www.museonacional.cult.cu [1], Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–2 p.m., entrance CUC5, or CUC8 for both sections, guided tour CUC2) is housed in the soberly classical Palacio de Bellas Artes.

The museum features an atrium garden from which ramps lead up to two floors exhibiting more than 1,200 works of art—a complete spectrum of Cuban paintings, engravings, sketches, and sculptures laid out according to eight themes in 24 salas. Works representing the vision of early 16th- and 17th-century travelers merge into colonial-era pieces, early 20th-century Cuban interpretations of Impressionism, Surrealism, and works spawned by the Revolution.

The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes also has an exemplary International Section [2] not to be missed. It is housed in a separate building in the Parque Central [3] area.