The Caracas Athenaeum (known in Spanish as the ''Ateneo de Caracas'') is a cultural institution centred on the arts. It is currently located in Macaracuay, at the Southeast corner of Caracas, after having been expelled by the Bolivarian government from its premises located in the area of Los Caobos,

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

History

The institution was founded on August 8, 1931. The Caracas Athenaeum has always been led by women. The Caracas Athenaeum's founder,

María Teresa Castillo María Teresa Castillo (October 15, 1908 – June 22, 2012) was a Venezuelan journalist, politician, political activist, human rights activist, and cultural entrepreneur. She was the founder of the Caracas Athenaeum, a leading cultural instituti ...

, served as president from 1958 to 2012. The first president was the musician Maria Luisa Escobar. She led the Atheneum from its first headquarters, a residence which was owned by general Vicencio Pérez Soto. In 1942, there was a change of both, president and location. The presidency went to the hands of actress Anna Julia Rojas. The new location was the place of birth of the educator

Andrés Bello Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López (; November 29, 1781 – October 15, 1865) was a Venezuelan Humanism, humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute a ...

. The Athenaeum obtained a purpose-built home in Los Caobos. The

brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

building was designed by Gustavo Legorburu, who won the National Prize of Architecture for it that same year. It hosted two theatre auditoriums, a concert hall, a library, a gallery, a cinema, rehearsal rooms, a café, as well as numerous offices. The building is now occupied by the Universidad Experimental Nacional de las Artes, which was created in 2008.

Activities of the Athenaeum

*International Theatre Festival of Caracas - Created by Maria Teresa Castillo and the resident theatre director of the time, Carlos Giménez. Considered one of the top theatre festivals of the world. *Christmas fair - has stands for artisans, silversmiths, antique dealers... *Annual painting exhibition - centred on either national or international artists. *Viewings of art house cinema. *Theatre season, resident company is Rajatabla. Famous productions include ''Tu País Está Féliz'', ''Señor Presidente'', '' Bolívar'', ''La Muerte de

García Lorca García or Garcia may refer to: People * García (surname) * Kings of Pamplona/Navarre ** García Íñiguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2–882 ** García Sánchez I of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 931–970 ** García Sánchez II of P ...

'' and ''La Charité de Vallejo''. *Theater Festival José Angel Porte Acero- Created in 1990

References

External links

Caracas Athenaeum at caracasvirtual.com
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1983 Buildings and structures in Caracas Theatres in Caracas Event venues established in 1931 Tourist attractions in Caracas