Objective:

To study the First Exhibition of Fine Arts in Colombia (1886), considering its organization and the critical discussions it provoked, in order to understand different notions about art and the conception of Colombian artistic tradition.

Methodology:

For this purpose, the article analyzes contemporary aesthetic theory texts published, critical debates regarding the Exhibition, documents related to its organization, its catalog and some of the works exhibited.

Originality:

Art exhibitions in Colombia have been studied primarily from critical discourses. In this case, the article attempts an analysis that brings together discussions, normative provisions, exhibited works, and aesthetic ideas, which allows a complex approach to the phenomenon of artistic exhibition.

Conclusions:

Given the weakness of the Colombian artistic environment at the end of the nineteenth century, the 1886 Exhibition of Fine Arts was fundamental because it allowed the construction of a discourse about the antiquity of art in the country and, at the same time, expressed the intention of continuing and strengthening the Colombian artistic tradition.