Mexico City Museums and Galleries
Establishment
neighborhood
Kurimanzutto
Gob. Rafael Rebollar 94, Colonia Condesa
Monica Manzutto and her husband José Kuri's gallery is probably the first to roll off anyone's tongue when talking about the contemporary art scene in Mexico. Together with their pal Gabriel Orozco, probably Mexico's most famous contemporary artist, in the early 2000's they came up with the idea of presenting the work of their contemporaries in pop-up spaces all over the city (and the world). Of course, nowadays, those artists—among them, Daniel Guzmán, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Damián Ortega—are big names and so is Kurimanzutto, which settled into a gorgeous gallery space in 2008, with quite the roster of local and international artists. Don't miss this gallery: The exquisite Alberto Kalach-designed space is worth the visit alone—it's one of our favorite examples of contemporary architecture in the city.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Av. Juárez, Centro Histórico
The Adamo Boari-designed, Beaux Arts palace is the crown jewel of the Centro Histórico with impressive marble interiors and massive murals by practically every major national muralist from Diego Rivera, to David Alfaro Siqueiros, to Rufino Tamayo. There's usually a worthwhile visiting art exhibition here, though the real highlight is catching a performance in the theater, which boasts a glass Tiffany curtain designed by the famed landscape artist Dr. Atl.
Palacio Nacional
Plaza de la Constitución, Centro Historico
Built on the site of the last Aztec emperor's home, this enormous Palace was once the home of Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, and has been the seat of Mexican government since gaining independence from Spain. While there are tours of the palace's architecture and a few galleries dedicated to the 19th-century president Benito Juarez, the real highlight is Diego Rivera's massive mural representing the entire history of the Mexican people from its indigenous origins, to the Spanish conquest, to the arrival of Marxist ideology—Rivera was an ardent communist. Like many of his murals, it's a historical who's who. The Palace is sometimes closed to visitors, so it's worth calling ahead.
Templo Mayor
Seminario 8, Centro Histórico
When Hernan Cortés and his army of Spanish conquistadores arrived in México city—then Tenochtitlan—they raised the Aztec capital, destroyed its temples, and used many of the building materials to erect their own palaces and, famously, the Cathedral. There are few remnants left of what was once the capital of the vast Mesoamerican Empire, but the ruins of their most important temple, the Templo Mayor, which is located right next to the Zócalo, were discovered in the late '70s and have been open to visitors ever since. The site is an active archaeological dig, with some pretty impressive ancient frescoes, and an on-site museum displaying the thousands of ancient artefacts—elaborate offerings made for the gods—discovered here over the years.
Museo de Arte Popular
Revillagigedo 11, Centro Histórico
Housed in a beautifully restored Art Deco building in the Centro Histórico, this museum is home to Mexican folk handicrafts and textiles from around the country. It's a nicely manageable museum and a great place to bring kids, with weekend workshops that teach everything from paper maché to how to make amate paper. Don't miss the museum shop, which is one of the best places to find quality regional crafts.
Museo Dolores Olmedo
Av. México 5843, La Noria, Xochimilco
Dolores Olmedo was one of Diego Rivera's greatest patrons and her home, an ex-hacienda near Xochimilco, houses her collection of his works through the years, along with those of other artists and craftsmen she supported during her lifetime. While the collections are magnificent, and a real window into the breadth of Rivera's talents and career, the expansive grounds themselves—gorgeous native gardens that are home to her beloved hairless Xoloescuintle dogs and a family of peacocks—are a heavenly respite from the city's busy streets. In October and November, the museum puts on an awesome Day of the Dead display, as Doña Lola always did when she was alive.
Archivo de Diseño y Arquitectura
Gral. Francisco Ramírez 4, Colonia Ampliación
Housed next to Casa Luis Barragan (he designed the gardens here), this design gallery and archive hosts small, tightly curated exhibitions on everyday design—everything from the evolution of Oaxacan pottery, to the role of the "copy" in design, to cycling in Mexico City. Aside from the exhibitions, the space itself is a pretty, peaceful respite from the city streets in this little residential pocket of architectural delights.
Museo Franz Mayer
Av. Hidalgo 45, Centro Histórico
Franz Mayer was a German immigrant who lived in Mexico in the early 20th-century and amassed an enormous collection of decorative arts—everything from silver, to furnishings from the 16th-century on, to talavera tiles and pottery made in Puebla. Although he did acquire pieces in Europe and around the world, much of his collection was made in Mexico, and visiting the museum is a window into the elegant and elaborate furniture, paintings, and decorations that decorated the upper crust's homes during the colonial period. Upon his death, he left his collection and a generous trust to the Banco de Mexico, which opened the museum to the public in the '80s in an elegant, restored 16th-century ex-monastery. Aside from Mayer's inheritance, the museum continues to acquire special pieces and collections, and puts on great contemporary design exhibitions, too.
Museo Tamayo
Paseo de la Reforma 51, Bosque de Chapultepec
While the arrival of the Museo Jumex certainly brings some stiff competition in the contemporary art arena, the Museo Tamayo, open since the 80's, housing muralist Rufino Tamayo's collection, has still got it. They've brought everyone from Sophie Calle, to Wolfgang Tillmans, to Francis Alÿs, to Yayoi Kusama to the Mexican audience, complementing each show with film series, talks, educational programs, and their famous jazz nights. Originally designed by two of Mexico's most prominent modernist architects, Abraham Zabludovsky and Teodoro González de León, the museum, which is nestled in Chapultepec park, has undergone an expansion and refurb.
Museo Soumaya
Plaza Carso, Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303, Colonia Ampliación
This museum holds the collections of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and is named after his wife, Soumaya. Spread across two buildings, the newest of which was designed by Slim's son-in-law, Fernando Romero (with advice from Frank Gehry and Ove Arup), the collection includes important works by ancient masters, the Impressionists, and the largest collection of Rodin's sculpture outside of France, just to name a few of its greatest hits. It's pretty grand and the Slim family wins major PR points for making the entrance and tours of the collection completely free to the public.