A Cultural Disgrace

 Next to the World Trade Center, not far from where I live, is the Polyforum Siqueiros, a cultural center which features the works of David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of the "Big Three" of 20th century Mexican muralism.

The outside is covered with Siqueiros murals.  Inside, there is an enormous, round hall which is entirely covered on all sides with a monumental mural called "The March of Humanity".  The interior and exterior together comprise over 93,000 square feet of painting, the largest mural in the world.  Siqueiros is not my favorite artist, but many years ago I went inside.  Completely surrounded by the murals, I was overwhelmed by this astounding work of art.

The Polyforum was inaugurated in December of 1971, a little more than two years before the artist's death.  The building is privately owned and operated by the Siqueiros Foundation, headed by the late artist's niece.  The outside murals are deteriorating, and at some point, the Polyforum was closed to the public, and grandiose plans were made for a complete renovation of the site.   Those plans included a high-rise structure with mirrored windows that would reflect the paintings on the roof of the Polyforum. 

I was trying to remember when the Polyforum was closed.  After some searching, I found a blog entry that I wrote in March of 2017 about the closure and the plans for the renovation.  So, the cultural center has been in limbo for over seven years.  You can read that entry HERE and see architect's renderings of what the project would look like when completed. 

In all those years, as far as I can tell, nothing has been done to the murals, and the ground has not been broken for the planned high-rise.   The site is still surrounded by a high barricade, and some of the panels still bear the signs touting the future project.

"A new 6000 square meter public plaza is being created to appreciate the exterior murals of Siqueiros."

The Polyforum has been closed to the public for years, but the hall is rented out for private events.  At one point, the neighbors in the apartment buildings across the street filed a complaint against the loud music at those events.

Now, the situation is even more disgusting.  The gates of the supposed construction site are open, and the grounds of the Polyforum are being used as a parking lot.

Disgraceful!