Museo Nacional de Arte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Museum of Art

Museo Nacional de Arte
Location	Historical center of Mexico City

The Museo Nacional de Arte (MUNAL), also known as the National Museum of Art, is a super cool art museum in Mexico City. It's right in the historic center of the city. The museum is inside a beautiful old building.

This museum has a huge collection of Mexican art. You can see art from the mid-1500s all the way to the mid-1900s. Outside the museum, you'll spot a giant statue of Charles IV of Spain on a horse. This statue was made by Manuel Tolsá. It was moved here in 1979 to keep it safe, not because people liked the king!

About the Museum: MUNAL's Story

Mural on the ceiling of the main stairway in the Museo Nacional de Arte.

The museum first opened in 1982 as the National Museum of Art. Then, in 2000, it got a big makeover! It reopened as MUNAL with lots of new technology.

Today, MUNAL shows art from Mexico and other countries. It covers art from the 16th century to the early 20th century. The museum has over 3,000 artworks in its main collection. It has a huge space for showing art, about 5,500 square meters!

MUNAL is part of the National Institute of Fine Arts. This means it helps save, show, and study Mexico's amazing art. The museum also has fun workshops and events for everyone. You can even volunteer there!

The Palace of Communications: MUNAL's Home

Statue of Charles IV of Spain of Spain El Caballito by Manuel Tolsá, built between 1796 and 1803

Interior of the Museo Nacional de Arte

MUNAL is located in a grand old building called the Palace of Communications. At the start of the 1900s, the Mexican government wanted a special building. They hired an Italian architect named Silvio Contri to design it. The idea was to show that Mexico was becoming modern.

The building's style is a mix of different old styles. This was common back then. It even used new building methods and metal decorations. This showed how much progress was happening during the Industrial Revolution. A family from Florence called the Coppedé family did many of the decorations. They designed the door handles, windows, lamps, and more.

Over the years, the Palace started to get old. But around 2000, a big project restored it. They made it look like new again! They also added modern technology to protect the artworks inside.

Two special rooms in the building are the Reception Hall and the Patio de los Leones. The Reception Hall is on the second floor. It was made to look as grand as palaces in Europe. It has shiny metal, crystal, and murals. These murals show ideas like science, art, and progress. This hall was a favorite spot for President Porfirio Díaz. He used to make important speeches and meet famous visitors there.

The Patio de los Leones also mixes different styles. You can see Classic and Gothic designs. There are sculptures, special lighting, and carved stone. In the middle, a large curved staircase leads to the upper floors.

Later, the building was used for the national archives. Then, in 1982, it became the National Museum of Art. The plaza outside the building is named after Manuel Tolsá. He created the famous statue of Carlos IV there, also known as El Caballito. Today, most of the building holds MUNAL's art collection. The Reception Hall and Patio de los Leones are used for concerts and other events.

The Art Collection: A Journey Through Mexican Art

Art in the Museum.

The museum's art collection shows how fine arts grew in Mexico. It covers art from the early colonial times to the mid-1900s. The art is divided into three main time periods.

The first period is from 1550 to 1821, during the colonial era. This part of the collection is called "Assimilation of the West." It shows how Western painting styles came to Mexico. It also shows how Mexico started its own art school, the Academy of San Carlos. This was the first art school like it in the Americas!

Art in the Museum.

The second period covers the first 100 years after Mexico became independent (1810–1910). This collection is called "Construction of a Nation." Many paintings from this time show Mexican customs and landscapes. They helped define what it meant to be Mexican.

The last period is after the Mexican Revolution until the 1950s. This section is called "Strategies for the Fine Arts in Modern Mexico." After the Revolution, people thought a lot about what it meant to be modern and Mexican. This time also saw the rise of the famous Mexican muralist movement.

Some rooms in the museum are used for special temporary shows. These might feature paintings by artists like Pedro Gualdi. They also show modern photography.

Gallery

See also

In Spanish: Museo Nacional de Arte (México) para niños