Yahoo! July 19, 2001.
HAVANA, 18 (AP) - Cuba's National Museum of Fine Arts reopened Wednesday
after a rehabilitation of the three-building complex, which houses nearly 50,000
works dating back to the island's Spanish colonization.
The museum complex consists of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, or Palace of
Fine Arts; the Asturian Center; and an old building that belonged to Cuba's
militia, the Communist Party daily Granma reported Wednesday.
The museum complex was closed in 1996 because of the precarious condition of
the old buildings and restoration began in 1999. The art was removed during the
renovation and recently returned.
The Palacio de Bellas Artes holds a wide range of Cuban art, from Spanish
colonization to modern times. The majestic Asturian Center nearby, to be
inaugurated on Thursday, features old European works of art, as well as
collections of American and Latin American paintings. Administrative offices
will be housed in the old militia building.
The cultural complex will be opened to the general public Aug. 1. | 
