Pedro Lira

Who was Pedro Lira?

Pedro Lira was a Chilean painter. He was one of the founders of the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts

Lira came from a wealthy family, the son of José Calvo Santos Lira and Martina Rencoret Cienfuegos. Chile was experiencing a time of great economic prosperity, especially after the end of the War of the Pacific. During his childhood and adolescence he studied at the Instituto Nacional where he received a liberal education. He entered the Academy of Painting directed by Alejandro Ciccarelli. By 1862, Lira entered the workshop of master landscape painter Antonio Smith, while pursuing parallel career in law at the University of Chile, where he finished successfully in 1867. However, his interest in painting would aprevail and he went on to devote full-time to art. From 1873 to 1884 he lived in France. He was a fan of Eugène Delacroix, copying several of his paintings. After his return to Chile helped by the innovative spirit of the government of Domingo Santa María, he felt an opportunity to create an environment similar to the Parisian culture and exhibit his art.