Temporary Exhibition Gallery

A+N Architecture in Costa Rican Numismatics

Government buildings, banks, churches, universities, adobe houses and cities have been featured in Costa Rican coins and banknotes dating back to 1860. What has made Costa Rican architecture such a frequent feature of these numismatic objects?

Find out the answer to this question and many more at the new exhibition at the Central Bank Museums of Costa Rica, A+N, Architecture in Costa Rican Numismatics, showing in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery located on the first floor, starting July 28th, 2012.

This exhibition seeks to highlight the importance of rescuing our architectural heritage on Costa Rican coins, banknotes and medals.  With this exhibit, the Central Bank Museums also intend to raise awareness of their conservation, as well as to identify the buildings represented due to their historical context and their role in forging a nation.

The Central Bank, the National Library and the University of Costa Rica are some of the buildings featured in these objects, as well as the city of Barva, the ruins of Cartago and the Orosi and Heredia Churches, among others. 29 architectural and urban works in total will be available to be analyzed in detail in this exhibition.

“Indubitably, from a thematic point of view, architecture is one of the most recurrent themes in Costa Rican numismatics; it offers us a country vision at various time periods, where coins and banknotes are to this day the quintessential means of crystallizing the projects of a society, state or nation” remarks Manuel Chacón, co-curator of this exhibit and the Central Bank Museums.

Research efforts were also in charge of Architect Rosa Malavassi, an expert on this topic.

A Trip Through Architecture in Coins and Banknotes

This exhibition features the different architectural styles evident in the buildings represented, such as the Colonial, Victorian, Neoclassical, Eclectic and Modern Movements. In this regard, a game found along the visit encourages visitors to make their own building using elements of each architectural style.

The history of the various representations of architecture featured are examined: cities and public infrastructure, churches, public buildings and banks.

This exhibition comprises an interactive presentation that will allow visitors to find out specific information on the buildings represented, such as the date it was built, its architectural style, the banknote that featured it, the architects who designed it and its current state (whether it is still standing or has been demolished).

Furthermore, the exhibition is also showing the video “Esta ciudad tiene piel”  (This City Has Skin), produced by the Costa Rican Ministry of Culture's Heritage Center, an introspection of the significance of architectural heritage from a sociocultural and historical perspective.

Finally, a map points the location (within or outside San José) of each building represented. If the building has been demolished, it points out where it was located.

San José Building Rally

Another activity in this exhibition that the public will enjoy is a photographic rally to be carried out throughout San José on Sunday, September 23rd . The photographs that best depict the buildings featured in coins and banknotes, or photographs that clearly illustrate the state the buildings are in nowadays and the spaces these buildings hosted.

The prize photographs and the name of the photographer will be placed on the map showing the location of the buildings. For more information on the rally rules, please visit our website: www.museosdelbancocentral.org.