The Layers of Things Making the Museum of Decorative Arts in Santiago, Chile

This thesis investigates why and how objects at the Museo de Artes Decorativas (MAD) in Santiago, Chile, have been collected, classified, and exhibited as decorative arts. Drawing on the concept of the museum as a space where multiple layers of time overlap and converse, the study explores the historical conditions of production and circulation in Chile, the dynamics of local collecting practices, and the institutional policies that have shaped the presence of these objects at the MAD. By tracing the varied materialities, temporalities, and narratives embedded in the collection, this research brings into focus the heterogeneous origins and meanings of the objects, illuminating how the museum functions as a site where diverse histories, aesthetic values, and social voices intersect within the framework of Chilean material culture.