The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, under the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
*Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
* Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
*Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
*Minister for the Arts (Australia)
*Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)
* Ministry of ...
. Its mission is
managing the country's cultural heritage.
History
The department was originally established by King
Vajiravudh in 1912, split off from the Palace's Religious Affairs Office, and was primarily concerned with protecting Buddhist monuments. In 1926, during the reign of King
Prajadhipok, the department was merged into the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, along with the Museum Department and Archaeology Department, in effect consolidating several cultural heritage-related agencies. In 1933, following the
abolition of absolute monarchy, the Royal Society's archaeological arm was split off and re-established as the Fine Arts Department under the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
(then known as the Ministry of Public Instruction). It became part of the Ministry of Culture from 1952 until 1957 (when the ministry was dissolved), and again in 2002 when the ministry was re-established.
Functions
The Fine Arts Department is responsible for the study and management of archaeological sites and objects, as well as the operation of the country's
national museums
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
, which it does under the legal framework of the Act on Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums, B.E. 2504 (1961). It also covers
intangible cultural heritage, literature, and historical archives. Among its constituent bureaus are the
National Archives and the
National Library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...
. Its budget for
FY2019 is 3,070.1 million
baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...
.
Organization
The Fine Arts Department is composed of the following divisions:
* Office of the Secretariat
* Archaeology Division
* Underwater Archaeology Division
* Center for Information Technology on Art and Culture
* Office of Performing Arts
* Office of Traditional Arts
* Office of National Museums
* Office of Literature and History
* Office of Architecture
*
Office of the National Archives
*
Office of the National Library
* Twelve Regional Offices
References
{{reflist
Government departments of Thailand
Cultural heritage of Thailand
National heritage organizations