The institute was inaugurated on June 2, 1938, through an alliance between the U.S. Embassy and a group of intellectuals,[2] after which it acquired a building of its own in the Jirón de la Unión (No.

Its opening ceremony was attended by then President Manuel Prado Ugarteche.

It started publishing its own magazine three years later, directed by Estuardo Núñez Hague, and started events organising events featuring local artists, such as Fernando de Szyszlo in 1947 and Maria Reiche in 1955.

[3] A new building in Miraflores was inaugurated in 1963, which was visited by astronaut Neil Armstrong three years later.

Since the 21st century, the institute has expanded to other cities in the country.