IAI l f S 3 11 K S 4.11111■ MEXICO CITY'S MODERN ART MUSEUM Jutta Rütz* The Modern Art Museum is a xico City's Modern Art Mu- while the other holds the gallery. The steel construction allowed public museum, inaugurated Sep- seum (MAM) is in Chapulte- tember 20, 1964, under the admin- pec Forest, near the Monu- for the creation of large spaces and simple forms. The transpar- istration of Adolfo López Mareos, ment to the Child Heroes, 1964. A fore- ent fiberglass and polyester resin president from 1958 to Mewith its main entrance fac- was the Natio- domes in the middle of each build- runner of the MAM ing the intersection of Paseo de la nal Museum of Modern Art, locar- Reforma and Gandhi streets. The ing surprise the visitor with both their visual and acoustic effects. ed in the Fine Arts Palace between design of the museum, by archi- 1957 and 1960, when Miguel Salas The materials —marble, quarried tects Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Anzures was the head of the Visual stone and rock— contrast with the Rafael Mijares, is an example of Arts Department. The museum's transparency of the glass which 1960s functionalism. The muse- collection comes from the national permit a view of the sculpture um has two buildings; the main collection of the National Museum garden and malee illumination of one has four exhibition halls, of Visual Arts, while the internatio- the exhibition rooms a mixture of nal collection was formed by dona- natural and artificial light. * PhD. in philosophy and art historian. 81 • VOICES of MEXICO • 35 Since its tions. It includes modern and con- and Sculpture. Paintings by the temporary painting, graphics, inauguration the major figures of Mexican muralism sculpture and photography. predominate: for example, El dia- museum has had The Xavier Villarrutia and Car- blo en la iglesia (The Devil in the los Pellicer rooms house the per- Church) (1947), by Chihuahua- 548 exhibitions. manent collection. Arranged chrono- born David Alfaro Siqueiros logically, the first room offers the (1896-1974); Culto a Huichilobos viewer a look at work from the so- (Cult to Huichilobos) (1949), by called Mexican School of Painting the Jalisco-bom José Clemente Oroz- co; and Retrato de Lupe Marín (Portrait of Lupe Marín) (1938), 5 by Guanajuato-born Diego Rivera. Work by other artists from the 1 same period who were not part of -1 the current which carne out of the Mexican School is also shown as part of the permanent collection. • Among them are Manuel González j Serrano (1917-1960), Antonio Ruiz 1 (El Corzo) (1895-1964) and Agustín • Lazo (1896-1971). From among the • second and third generation mural- ists, there are works of José Chávez :c1 Morado (b.1909), Jorge González s Camarena (1908-1980) and Juan O'Gorman (1905-1982). Examples of Realism, Surrealism and Fantastic • Art include Maternidad (Maternity) .1' (1943), by María Izquierdo (1902- 1955); the famous Las dos Fridas (The Two Fridas) (1939) by Frida Kahlo (1907-1954); and La huida (The Flight) (1961), by Remedios Varo (1908-1963). 1 An artistic movement from 1922 to 1940. Muralism "attempted to vali- date pre-Columbian and folk art, and spread socialist ideas and nationalist ideals, which would later resist Amer- icanization." Juan Acha, "Perfil Socio- cultural del Museo de Arte Moderno en México," in Museo de Arte Moder- no. 25 años. 1964-1989, Mexico, The Flight (1961). Remedios Varo. Prisma Editorial, 1989, p. 24. 82 MUSEUMS The work of Rufino Tamayo and the Fernando Gamboa gallery. (1899-1991) stands out in the Since its inauguration, the museum Carlos Pellicer room, which shows has had 548 exhibitions which paintings of his from different peri- reflect the focus and personality of ods, among them Las músicas dor- its nine directors. The showings or- midas (The Sleeping Women Mu- ganized by Fernando Gamboa, the sicians) (1950), Olga, retrato diná- museurris second director (the first mico (Olga, a Dynamic Portrait) was Carmen Barrera) from 1972 to (1958) and Hombre a la puerta (A 1981, who emphasized internation- Man at the Door) (1980). This room al exhibits, usually of groups, de- shows paintings and sculptures serve mention.3 Gamboa argued for which take in the so-called "gener- this type of showing by pointing to ation of the break," with its begin- the inability of both Mexican artists 4 nings in the 1960s.2 Represented are and the general public to travel. Ricardo Martínez (b.1918), with Portrait of Lupe Marín (1 938), Diego Rivera. El brujo (The Warlock) (1971); Fran- 3 He organized more than 49 group ex- cisco Corzas (1936-1983), with La hibits (more than 60 percent of which were from abroad) and 168 indivi- empaquetada (The Packed Woman) dual showings (65 percent of which (1966); and Vicente Rojo (6.1932), were of Mexican artists). See Acha, with La gran señal (The Great op. cit., p. 28. 4 See Mariana Frenk-Westheim, "La co- Signal) (1966). From the tendency lección de arte de Fernando Gamboa," of fantasy-art, dating from alter in Recordando a Fernando Gamboa(cat- 1960, the museum has such im- alogue), Mexico, INBA, p. 11. portant works as Lagarto (Animal fantástico) (Lizard [Fantastic Ani- mal]) or La función del mago (The Magician's Performance) (1972), by Oaxaca-born Francisco Toledo (b.1940), among others. Temporary exhibits are usually housed in the José Juan Tablada and Antonieta Rivas Mercado rooms 2 Rita Eder describes the "movement of the break' as a questioning of the ideas of muralism and other aspects of the Mexican School of Painting. The artists of this trend called for "subjective expression free from content, as opposed to the social and political character of muralism." Rita Eder, "La ruptura con el muralismo y la pintura mexicana en los años cincuenta," in Historia del arte mexicano. Arte contemporáneo III, Mex- ico, Salvat Mexicana de Ediciones, S.A. José Clemente Orozco. Cult to Huichilobos (1949), de C.V., 1982, p. 2201. VOICES of MEXICO • 35 del arte en el arte contemporá- neo mexicano (Encounters. On the History of Art in Contemporary Mexican Art) (1992). Of all the exhibitions, homages and retro- spectives, particularly outstanding were Manuel Álvarez Bravo. Los años decisivos, 1925-1945 (Manuel Álvarez Bravo. The Decisive Years) (1992) and Remedios Varo (1994). From among contemporary Mex- ican artists, the individual show- ings Irma Palacios. Espejismo mine- ral (Irma Palacios. Mineral Mirage) (1993) and Arturo Rivera. Bodas del cielo y del infierno (Arturo Rivera. Weddings of Heaven and Hell) The SleepingWomen Musicians (1950), Rufino Tamayo. (1995) have been especially stimu- lating. Among the most spectacular in- The museum's The museum has book, photo ternational exhibitions that Gamboa and sude libraries as well as a read- collection includes organized are The Horses of San Mar- ing-room for internal use open to cos, Venice (1980), Henri Cartier the public upon presentation of modern and Bresson (1982) and Henry Moore valid identification. The ground (1983). Under the tutelage of Helen floor of the main building has a contemporary Escobedo, head of the museum bookstore which sells exhibit cat- painting, graphics, from 1982 to 1984, special circum- alogues, art books and other items. stances meant that group show- MAM also offers services like lec- sculpture and ings, retrospectives of living artists tures, round table discussions, book and individual showings of dead presentations, courses, workshops photography. artists set the tone. 5 As director of and special events. The Educational the MAM from 1990 on, Teresa del Services Department offers regular Conde has been able to bring world- guided tours. \51 class exhibits from abroad like Giacomo Manzú (1991-1992) and Giorgio de Chirico (1993-1994). The museum is open One of her main goals is pub- Tuesday to Sunday, licizing the work of new genera- from 10 A.M. to tions of artists, for whom she peri- 5:30 P.M. For more information, eall odically organizes collective show- (52 5) 553-6233 or ings like Encuentros. De la historia 211-8729. Fax (52 5) 553-6211. 5 See Juan Acha, op. cit., p. 33. 84 .