Mexico City's National Museum of Art

In yesterday's post I mentioned the National Museum of Art which is housed in an ornate former government building which was known as the "Palacio de Comunicaciones".  I had been to the museum a couple years ago, but I returned for another visit.

Even if one is not that interested in the art (admittedly, most of the artists represented here are not well known to the typical foreign tourist), a visit is recommended if only to see the lavish interior of the palace.

 

 The courtyard of the museum

The grand staircase

The lavish reception room on the top floor

The museum is presently having a special exhibit on British landscapes from the 17th through the 21st centuries.  The paintings on display are all on loan from London's Tate Gallery.  The exhibit was quite good, and included famous painters such as Gainsborough, Constable and Turner.  Unfortunate photography was not permitted in the exhibit.

The permanent collection covers Mexican art from the 16th century through the mid 20th century.  (More recent artwork is found at the Museum of Modern Art in Chapultepec Park.)  

There are numerous rooms filled art from the colonial period.  Most of it is religious art, and some of the pieces are quite huge.  I must admit, however, that after a while the images of Madonnas and saints get a bit boring.

My favorite part of the museum is their collection (the largest in the world) of paintings by the 19th century landscape artist José María Velasco. 

Velasco, one of my favorite Mexican painters, did exceptionally beautiful landscapes which often featured the Valley of Mexico with the snow covered volcanoes in the background.  I wrote about him last year in this blog and mentioned how I used one of his landscapes as inspiration for a painting of my own.

In the late 19th century paintings portraying pre-Hispanic mythology and early Mexican history were very much in vogue.  I find the paintings in these galleries to be very interesting even if art critics today probably consider them very conventional, academic art of the era.

 The mythological story of "The Discovery of Pulque"

(Pulque is an alcoholic beverage which dates back to pre-Hispanic Mexico.)

 

 The torture of Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor by the Spanish 

An early 20th century Mexican artist that I find quite interesting is Gerardo Murillo, who signed his paintings "Dr. Atl".  I suppose you could say that "Dr, Atl" continued the tradition of Velasco in that he primarily painted Mexican landscapes.  However, you can see that his style was quite different.  He was also obsessed with volcanoes and their eruptions.

Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world.  Although I would not necessarily put the National Museum of Art at the top for a first time visitor to Mexico City, I would definitely place in the top ten list  (maybe even top five) of the city's best museums.

All Within a Few Blocks

Mexico City's "centro histórico" is the largest historical district of any city in the Americas.  There is a lot of ground to cover if you want to see all its sights.  However, yesterday I went to the "centro" to revisit some places, and I spent the better part of the day without walking more than three blocks.

The first stop on our itinerary is the "Casa de Azulejos" (House of Tiles).  This important example of colonial architecture is located on Madero Street, the pedestrianized street which cuts through the heart of the historic city.  Almost across the street from the House of Tiles is the 20th century skyscraper, the Latin American Tower, which more or less marks the division between the colonial and the modern city.  

The House of Tiles was built in 1793 as the home of the wealthy Counts of Orizaba.  The family flaunted its wealth by lavishly decorating the three exposed sides of the mansion with blue and white talavera tiles.

In 1919 the building was purchased by American brothers Frank and Walter Sanborn.  Here they opened a combination restaurant, soda fountain, pharmacy, and gift store.  The House of Tiles is the flagship of the ubiquitous Sanborns chain which is found throughout Mexico today.   The chain was eventually sold to Walgreens, and today is owned by Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico (and perhaps the world).

The former courtyard of the mansion was covered with a roof, and is the main dining room.

If you are interested in the 20th century Mexican mural painters, be sure to notice the painting at the entrance to the restrooms.  It is an early work (1925) of the great artist José Clemente Orozco.

Walking a couple blocks to the north along the side street (also pedestrianized) which runs beside Sanborns, you will come to the "Palacio Postal"... Mexico City's main post office.  The building was opened in 1907, and the architecture is an eclectic mixture of Venetian, Spanish and Elizabethan styles.  It is definitely worth a peek inside to see its lavish interior.

 Notice the top of the Latin American Tower peaking above.

 

Next door to the post office is one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture from the late colonial period, the "Palacio de Minería" (the Palace of Mining).  It was designed by the Spanish-born architect and sculptor Manuel Tolsá.  Tolsá came to Mexico and left his mark on the city's architecture.  The Palace of Mining was built between 1797 and 1813 to house the School of Mining.  Today it belongs the School of Engineering of the National University of Mexico.  I noticed that a portion of the building is open to the public as a museum dedicated to the life and work of Tolsá.  Unfortunately, it was not open at the time that I was there, so that will be something for me to see on a future visit.

The plaza in front of the Palace of Mining is called the Plaza Tolsá.  On the opposite side of the plaza is another impressive building.  It was built between 1905 and 1911 to house the government ministries of communications and public works, but today it houses the National Museum of Art.  I have been there before, but I paid another visit and spent a couple hours strolling through its galleries.  That will be the topic of my next post.

If you look carefully at the above picture, you will notice what appears to be a big box in front of the museum.  It is scaffolding and mesh that covers a bronze statue of King Carlos IV of Spain.  

The statue was created in 1803 by Manuel Tolsá, and is considered a masterpiece of equestrian sculpture.  It is the second largest cast bronze statue in the world. 

Why is it covered up?  In 2013 restoration work on the sculpture went seriously awry.  Nitric acid was used by the restoration team, and it severely damaged the bronze.  I have not been able to find any information as to what is going to be done, or if it's possible to repair the damage.

After Mexico won its independence, anti-Spanish sentiment ran high and the statue was hidden away lest it be destroyed.  Eventually it was placed on one of the traffic circles along the Paseo de la Reforma.  That is where I first saw it.  Later it was moved to the Plaza Tolsá.

The statue is commonly referred to as "El Caballito"... "the Little Horse"... ignoring King Carlos IV altogether.

Here is an image from the web I found of "El Caballito" when it was on the Paseo de la Reforma...

...and an image of the statue on the Plaza Tolsá.

Random Photos of Condesa

Condesa, the neighborhood where I am staying, is one of my favorite parts of Mexico City.  Here are a few pictures of the area.

My apartment is located on Avenida Amsterdam, a long oval-shaped avenue.  In the middle, running the entire length of the avenue is a shady, pedestrian walkway.

I noticed this less than a block from my apartment.  Someone by the names of Carlotta and Jorge put up this fence in February which they call the "Urban Wall of Love".  They are hoping to create a mini-version of the "Pont des Arts" in Paris, the bridge where tens of thousands of lovers have placed padlocks as symbols of their undying love.  At this point there are less than a dozen padlocks on the fence.  It will be interesting to see if the idea catches on, and how many locks are there the next time I come to Mexico City.

Also just a stone's throw from my apartment is the Plaza and Fountain of Popocatépetl.  Fountains in the parks of Mexico City are turned on sporadically, I suppose in order to conserve water.

Although March is the peak season, some of the jacaranda trees still have blossoms.

This grand old mansion along Avenida Amsterdam sadly appears to be vacant.

Outdoor flower stalls are to be seen on many street corners in the neighborhood.

Condesa is an upper-middle class neighborhood filled with fine restaurants and cafés, but that doesn't mean that you won't find street food here.

If you call "Happy Woof" they will come to your home and bathe and groom your doggie!

Those of us who are of a certain age remember the Woolworth stores which were once one of the biggest chains throughout the U.S.  Woolworth is defunct north of the border, but the chain still exists in Mexico.  I frequently go into this store on Insurgentes Avenue. (Technically, it's not in Condesa, but across the street in the Roma neighborhood.)  I have found great deals here on official team soccer shirts.  It's not unusual to pay $100 US for a soccer shirt, but here I can find them for around $15.

And finally, I chuckle to myself every time I pass by this dentist's office housed in a giant tooth!

Afternoon at the Mall

Although we really didn't do any sightseeing yesterday, Alejandro and I had a pleasant Sunday together.  The morning was sunny and warm.  After going out for breakfast, we took a stroll around the Condesa neighborhood, and I showed him the renovations at "Parque México" (which I wrote about yesterday).

By afternoon the sky was overcast, and the forecast called for rain.  (It never did rain however.)  We decided to go see a movie.  We took the "Metrobus" a few miles up Insurgentes Avenue to the Buenavista Mall.  The mall is located on the site of Mexico City's former train station.  (You can still take a local train from here to the northern suburbs of the city, but there is no long-distance passenger train service out of Mexico City anymore.)  The mall is four stories high and is much like shopping malls anywhere in the world.  There are plenty of American chains (Sears, Best Buy, Office Depot), but there also many Mexican and European stores.  Browsing through some of the shops, I found the prices no cheaper, and at times, more expensive, than in the United States.  

The mall includes an ice-skating rink.

A view of part of the Mexico City skyline from the mall.  The dome in the center is the Monument to the Mexican Revolution.

The mall includes a large multiplex cinema.  Unfortunately, half of the screens were showing the latest edition of "Fast and Furious"... definitely NOT our cup of tea!  We ended up seeing a movie I had never heard of... "Out of the Darkness".  It was co-produced by Spanish and Colombian film companies, but it is an English language film starring Julia Stiles.  It deals with an American family who moves to a South American town which is haunted by ghosts... some say the ghosts of children murdered centuries ago by the Spanish conquerors.  The story seemed very stereotypical... sweet, little girl is threatened by scary, supernatural creatures.  The photography (it was filmed in Colombia) was very nice, the acting wasn't bad, and it was a fairly entertaining way to spend a couple hours.    

Park Renovations

Just a short walk from the apartment where I am staying is "Parque México".  This park is the centerpiece of Mexico City's Condesa neighborhood, and was created in the 1920s at the time that the area was being developed as an affluent residential district.  The focal point of the park is an open-air theater known as the "Foro Lindbergh" (Lindbergh Forum).  It was built in 1927 when the aviator Charles Lindbergh was an international hero for his solo trans-Atlantic flight.  Sadly the "Foro" had fallen into disrepair and was covered in graffiti.

Some time ago, while on an earlier trip to Mexico City, I wrote that the "Foro" was being restored.  On the last several trips, there have been barricades around the construction area.  A few days ago I took a stroll through "Parque México", and I was pleased to see that the renovation is finally complete.

    This photo shows the graffiti-covered "Foro" before the restoration project.

This is what it looks like now...

The "Foro" included a number of murals by the artist Roberto Montenegro.  These had been virtually covered with graffiti.  The murals have been recreated and are now protected by sheets of plexiglass.

The pergolas that curve around each side of the "Foro" have also been renovated.

At the entrance to the "Foro" is a fountain, "La Fuente de los Cántaros",  which is the symbol of the Condesa neighborhood.  This sculpture of a naked women holding jars from which water flowed was also badly deteriorated and covered with graffiti.  Although the fountain was not turned on, this too has been cleaned and repaired.

 

The restoration adds immensely to the attractiveness of the park and of the Condesa neighborhood.  I hope that the authorities will assiduously remove any graffiti that should appear so as to discourage future vandalism!