Pity the poor Museo Nacional de Arte! In my opinion, this place just hast to be the most misunderstood and most overlooked museum in Mexico City. I suppose that part of it is simply that there are so many good museums in the city (which I've heard boasts more than 100 museums today). I think the bigger reason is that the Museo Nacional de Arte has huge depth, not to mention a huge collection, but with a tight focus on a field of human knowledge that few foreigners really know anything about or even really care about --- Mexican art. Do you care about Mexican art?

In terms of raw size and the sheer quality of its facility and programs, I really think Mexico's Museo Nacional de Arte is pretty darn good, and compares well with what I feel is the United States' best art museum --- the National Gallery of Art. The difference in scope and focus between these two grand dames of the art world is night and day.

While America's National Gallery of Art has a huge collection of European masterworks, and does not in any way try to represent a focus on American art, the Museo Nacional de Arte is more of a nationalistic source of pride, and as such, it stays focused on it's primary mission --- it does not include anything that's not by a Mexican artist. Therein lies the conundrum. No matter how outstanding their museum and collection may be, it's just not a place that non-Mexicans are likely to ever rank at the top of their "must do must see" lists.

That's a shame, and I think part of the blame lies with the authors and publishers of travel books on Mexico, none of whom do a credible job selling tourists on the place. They don't delve into it with any depth or passion, they don't explain any of the background -- heck, some barely even acknowledge its existence. One of the best English-language travel guides to the city is the fairly comprehensive Insight Guide to Mexico City, but even there, the museum is listed only in an appendix of museums --- the authors don't even mention it in the body of the text (where they describe every other major tourist attraction in the neighborhood), let alone treating it in depth, as they do some of the city's other top museums. Frommers Mexico devotes one whole paragraph to the Museo Nacional de Arte --- almost all of it describing the building, but less than a single sentence about the collection itself. I can't find any significant review online.

I'm truly underwhelmed by the information I can find about this grand museum. I think I can do better...

The Exhibit Halls...
Museo Nacional de Arte is a huge museum, and it doesn't pay to be in a hurry on a visit -- I'd budget a good half-day here if you have only a marginal interest in art or no working knowledge of Spanish (since there aren't really many labels or exhibits in English), but you could very easily spend a full day here (or more) if you're a sophisticated museum patron who likes to view things critically, and who can read Spanish.

The story of Mexican art actually starts with the pre-Hispanic cultures that dominated the country before the arrival of Europeans. Sculptures survive from the Olmecs and Toltecs, who inhabited the region long before the birth of Christ, while stunning paintings and textiles also survive from younger civilizations, like the Aztecs and Mayas. Although this museum does have one gallery with artistic pieces from indigenous civilizations, you are much better off visiting museums like the Anthropology Museum --- or even the Templo Mayor --- if your true interest lies in the very, very old...

The museum's real focus lies in art that represents the European-influenced ideals of a post-Columbus timeframe.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the vast bulk of Mexican art was of the same kind of ecclesiastical spirit that you find throughout Latin America at this time. It's not unlike ecclesiastical art from Italy and Spain, and its stylistic influences are clearly European. From a biblical perspective, the artists seemed much more concerned with old testament themes than with the new testament. Major artists from this period are almost invariably Spanish-born and educated, and include works by Sebastian Pereyns and Andres de la Concha. It won't really be until the 18th century that you start to see Mexican-born artists coming into their own, nor that you start to see peculiarly Mexican themes emerge in their own right.

During the 18th century, you continue to see Christianity represented as the major artistic theme, but you also see a huge divergence in style and technique from the earlier periods, and you see a genuine Mexican voice being leant to the works. The museum's display of ex-voto works is a prime example: these are works that praise a saint for past favors granted. They remind me in some ways of the peculiarly Mexican folk art tradition of the "milagro cross", which uses charms to focus prayers on the subject of concern -- usually a body part.

If there was ever a doubt about Mexico's unique artistic voice coming of age in the 1700s, it's shattered by Miguel Cabrera's masterpiece Maraviglia Americana -- which represents the Virgin, not as a caucasian with obvious European facial features, but as a Mexica with dark skin and the angular facial features of the Aztecs. Besides reflecting a devotion to the Virgin that goes beyond the usual Spanish religious zeal, the obvious reflection of a Virgin in the image of a Mexica is a concept that could not possibly be more alien (and quite likely repugnant) to Spanish sensibilities. This single painting proves that by the mid 1700s, Mexican artwork was not only not derivative of European work, but that it could very well stand on its own as truly innovative and visionary. I see the work as a harbinger of a truly great artistic tradition...

Judging from the vastness of the galleries on 19th century art -- actually more like an entire floor, the period must have been incredibly prolific, far beyond what I expected to find, but then, I've never really known much about Mexican artists from this period. The only 19th century Mexican artist whose works were familiar to me was Velasco -- but then, I guess everybody's heard of him.

Naturally, the museum has an entire gallery devoted to Jose Maria Velasco, whose eye for detail and his ability to capture subtle nuances of light and color change, marks him as an artist who breaks new ground. Velasco's works also exhibit a certain texture that almost makes you feel like you could reach out and feel the subject matter (not that it's a good idea to actually touch, I have a feeling the security guards -- who are everywhere in this museum -- would more than frown on such things). Some of the Velasco paintings are easy to overlook because he often worked in the kind of pastoral landscape motif that doesn't play well to casual contemporary art patrons, yet it pays to pay attention to Velasco because he was really a master of the form, and because his works have the ability to pull of surprises. Take his infamous vista, Valley of Mexico, which to the untrained casual glance might appear to be just another pastoral landscape. Yet this one is different. It's bright and clear, and it's a kind of time capsule that captures the flavor of a place during a period that's dramatically different, and even unrecognizable, to today's eyes -- what is now a bustling urban megalopolis around Mexico City was once peaceful farmlands, and the skies were not cloudy all day...

Criminey! A whole floor of galleries, and I haven't even got past Velasco yet, and the 1800s were really an amazing period in Mexican art. It was a century when the Mexican artistic voice and vision really blossomed into its own. While you do continue to find some European influences (especially with some of the religious oriented works), 19th century Mexican artists tended to break away from traditions and to find their own themes that were completely New World. I think an excellent example of this is Joauin Ramirez's El Interior del Arca, which is a metaphorical examination of an independent Mexican nation following a flood of revolution. You also find works that, while founded on European-derived techniques, focus on a new heritage -- a heritage that includes Mexica elements that are as foreign to European eyes as penguins in an East Texas pine forest. Ponder for a moment the significance of that towering stone figure Tlalhuicole Doing Battle at the Gladiator's Stone, carved in 1851. Could such a piece ever be legitimately described as "derivative"? Of course not! And it's just one of hundreds of pieces in this museum that bear witness to a very unique artistic tradition.

Naturally, one of my favorite paintings of this period is Jose Obregon's Discovery of Pulque. We wouldn't have tequila if it weren't for pulque, and what would a Cinco de Mayo party be without tequila? But I digress...

Mexican art really took the world by storm in the early 20th century, with its hugely innovative big screen emphasis on the mural -- a form that could express a hugely complex statement. The mural is like the epic of painting -- it's not just a picture done large, but one done in grand scope. Diego Rivera is almost certainly the most famous of Mexican muralists, but he wasn't one of the pioneers. The form really blossomed into maturity while Rivera was still a young, developing artist. The pioneers were people like Gerardo Murillo (known to the world as "Dr. Atl"). The muralists were blessed with a rich treasure trove of controversial themes to address and express. Industrial revolution, the Mexican revolution, the communist revolutions of Europe -- philosophies, politics, and peoples were in turmoil, and the artists of the early 20th century could draw on it, even as their own foundations were in revolution, as surrealism supplanted impressionism.

One gallery is devoted to a temporary exhibit called Los Pinceles de la Historia. It's an exhibit that focuses on reconstruction, but with an eye toward the modern, often stark eye of graphic arts. If you like the bold designs of modern graphic artists like Kandinsky, you won't want to miss this exhibit! It includes various kinds of official design, from official documents to stamps to photos to maps. It's an exhibit that blurs the line between art for art's sake and functional design. Maybe there never was a line there...

The Building...
As I mentioned, the authors and editors at Frommers seem to love the building. It is an impressive structure, built in the early 20th century as the government's ministry of public works and communications. It's a huge, sprawling grey granite structure that covers about 4 square city blocks. The building was designed by Italian architect, Silvio Contri. As impressive as the exterior of the building may be, the interior is where it's real beauty lies -- from the bright, airy feel of the inner courtyard, and the ornate grand staircase, housed in a grand turret, and adorned with elaborate frescoes with the kinds of religious themes that you'd expect to find in a 17th century church. Tall wood doors, each with gracefully etched glass panes, grace the entrances from the courtyard balconies into the galleries. The feeling is one of colonial splendor and grace, even though the museum was most certainly the product of a modern age.

The galleries are inviting spaces, with light hardwood floors, and cavernous 20-foot high ceilings. The lighting is bright and the galleries seem to never cease, with one leading into the next. The lower level includes a small gift shop and a small cafe, but they are low-key and not the crassly commercial kinds of junk shops that you find in some museums today. They are tasteful and focused and contribute to the overall museum experience.

Logistics...
Museo Nacional de Arte is located at Tacuba 8 in downtown Mexico City. It's about midway between the Zocalo and the Alameda, and is an easy stroll to either. Twenty pesos will get you in the door, but admission is free (my favorite word) on Sundays. The museum is closed on Mondays.

If you're traveling around the city by Metro, the best stop is either Allende or Bellas Artes -- both on Line 2.

Excellent restaurants abound near the museum. Closest is the snazzy sidewalk cafe, Girasoles, right outside the museum itself. If you'd like to try a restaurant that has traditional local character (and some history behind it), I'd recommend either Cafe Tacuba, or the Sanborns that's inside the famous viceregal residence, Casa de Azuelejos.

Bottom Line...
I'm not making any apologies here -- I love this museum! It's huge, it's beautiful, it's got a collection that's unlike any other art museum anywhere else in the world, and it's completely worth investing a little "get acquainted" time on your next trip to Mexico City. As we Nike wearer's used to say, "Just do it!"

Until next time, see you on the road. As always, I'll be looking for cool things to see and do that are just slightly off the most heavily trod tourist paths.


More Mexico City...
Looking to explore one of the world's most fascinating (not to mention biggest) cities? Here's a few more reviews that might tempt your travel spirit...

* Chapultepec Castle
* Palacio de Bellas Artes
* Teotihuacan




Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime