The Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City

Near the metro station and the Forest of Chapultepec, on the most elegant street of the city, is located the Museum of Modern Art (MAM). The inauguration of the building, which has been recognized as one of the most important and interesting of the continent. took place on September 20, 1964 by former President Adolfo Lopez Mateos. The building was designed by Architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez and it’s a free-form structure made of glass, marble, fiberglass and flint.

Although the museum faced diverse issues in its origins such as the lack of adequate budget, or the fact that it was thought as a provisional place, its first director established a funding board with the intention that the place served as a beacon for all modern art at the time, in its different categories of study. This way, the MAM has contributed -and sometimes questioned- the beauty of artistic trends.

The museum has a collection of over 3000 art works in the various fields of art such as painting, sculpture, photography and prints. Exhibits are constantly being changed and even lent to other museums. It has 4 rooms named on the basis of artistic personalities of the twentieth century, these are: Antonieta Rivas Mercado, Xavier Villaurrutia, Carlos Pellicer, José Juan Tablada.

The collection is divided into 1. First and second half of the twentieth century in Mexico; 2. An exhibition of photography of the twentieth-century and modern international photography; 3. Remedios Varo surrealism and 4. Temporary exhibitions which occupy most of the space, and vary over time.

Today many museums in the country use the format of "rotating" the pieces to be exhibited and taken away at some point, since they contain a lot of material and the space is limited. Some of the most popular exhibitions the museum has had are: “My City, Your City” (about the growth of cities; it had maps, data, models and more), Broken Animal (to raise awareness of human-animal interaction; photographies) or Suspects (exploring life in prisons; photography and painting).

Among the many artists whose work has been exhibited at the MAM are: David Alfaro Siqueiros, Roberto Montenegro, José Clemente Orozco, Frida Kahlo, Jorge González Camarena, Francisco Corzas, Leonora Carrington, Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo.

Photo: mam.org.mx

Special mention deserve the Museum Gardens, because they alone represent an attraction for visitors for its display of more than 60 sculptures gathered in the corridor, and that have been collected over the years.

It is also fair to say that the MAM presents not only works but also hosts events such as book presentations, conferences, workshops and more, always looking for the average person to get interested in art. One of the highlights of this museum is that the public can talk from time to time with guest artists.

In short, visiting the MAM is a pleasant experience. For schedules, costs and additional museum guidelines, or to ask for a guided tour, please visit the official website of the museum at: http://www.mam.org.mx

Article produced by the Editorial Team of "Explorando Mexico".

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Photo: http://mam.org.mx/