A Cultural Saturday

Last Saturday was another dreary, chilly day with the threat of rain.  So Alejandro and I drove to Chapultepec Park and hit a couple of the museums there.  I had told him about the fantastic Mayan exhibit at the Anthropology Museum, and he wanted to see it.  It was so good that I had no problem returning for a second visit.  The exhibit is so large... it's like a small museum unto itself... that I found that I noticed things that I had missed the first time.

Alejandro agreed that it was an excellent show.

After that we walked a short distance to the Museum of Modern Art.  I have never been especially impressed with that museum.  Considering that there have been so many great 20th century Mexican artists, I have found the museum disappointing.  However, the museum was having however a special exhibit of watercolors by a French painter by the name of Nicholas de Crecy.  De Crecy has traveled to Mexico extensively, and the country is the subject of many of his paintings.  We decided to check it out.  The paintings were very nice, but it was a rather small exhibit.

   

The museum had two other exhibits that proved to be more interesting.  There was a display of 180 objects collected by antiquarian and art collector Rodrigo Rivera Lake.  It was one of the most eclectic exhibits I have seen.  It included paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, furniture and even architectural details from all around the world and from many eras.

Here Alejandro is standing in front of a doorway from a palace in India.

Apparently the museum rotates its permanent collection with different themes.  The current selection is entitled "Scenes of Mexican Identity", and there were paintings on display which I did not see the last time I was here.

The "Big Three" of 20th century Mexican art were represented.

 Diego Rivera - "Day of the Dead"

José Clemente Orozco - self portrait

David Alfaro Siqueiros - self portrait

Other notable artist included Gerardo Murillo, known as Dr. Atl, who was obsessed with painting volcanoes.

An interesting multiple self-portrait by Juan O'Gorman

One of Frida Kahlo's most famous works, "The Two Fridas" was on display.

I enjoyed this visit to the museum more than previous visits.  However, I still feel that they should use their space to display more of their permanent exhibition rather than just offer a small sampling.  If I am coming to Mexico's Museum of Modern Art I expect to see much more than a couple Riveras and a couple of Kahlos and a smattering of other important artists.