Francisco Coto: The National Theater and its Urban Environment (1945–1993)
Until April 27, 2026
Between 1945 and 1993, the Costa Rican photographer Francisco Coto devoted a significant part of his attention to one of the country’s most emblematic spaces: the National Theater of Costa Rica and the urban fabric that surrounds it. This exhibition brings together a careful selection of photographs taken over almost five decades, in which the building, the city, and everyday life engage in dialogue through Coto’s sensitive and patient lens.
The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the National Theater Archive and the foundation that safeguards the artist’s archive. On the one hand, the National Theater Archive contributes historical documents and newspapers that include photographs by Coto, contextualizing his work within the country’s institutional and cultural memory. The foundation presents for the first time photographic material that was specially restored for this project.
Testimony of a city
Besides photographs, the exhibition offers a tour of objects that enrich the historical and visual experience: vintage postcards dated between 1945 and 1965, as well as two of the cameras used by Francisco Coto, which bring viewers closer to the technical and material processes of his practice.
Francisco Coto (1924–2024) was one of Costa Rica’s most influential photographers. For more than six decades, he documented the country’s landscape, culture, and daily life, building an archive of more than 80,000 images. His work captures everyday life, becoming one of the most relevant visual testimonies of 20th-century Costa Rica.
The exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the National Theater not only as a living space, in constant relationship with the city and its inhabitants.
Free admission.
Open every day, including holidays.
Monday through Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sundays: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Enrique Echandi Gallery – Las Musas Hall National Theater of Costa Rica
Sensorial Sunsets
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