Palacio de Bellas Artes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Palace of Fine Arts
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Front view of the Palacio de Bellas Artes
General information
Architectural style	Art Nouveau / Neoclassical (exterior) Art Deco (interior)
Location	Centro, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, Mexico
Coordinates	19°26′7″N 99°8′29″W / 19.43528°N 99.14139°W / 19.43528; -99.14139
Construction started	1 October 1904
Inaugurated	1934
Design and construction
Architect	Adamo Boari, Federico Mariscal, Géza Maróti, Agustí Querol Subirats, Edgar Brandt among others
Other information
Seating capacity	1,590

The Palacio de Bellas Artes (which means Palace of Fine Arts) is a super important cultural building in Mexico City. People often call it "Bellas Artes" for short. It's like the "art cathedral of Mexico" because it hosts many amazing events. You can see plays, concerts, dance shows, and art exhibits here. It's located in the western part of the historic center of Mexico City, right next to the beautiful Alameda Central park.

This grand palace replaced an older building called the National Theater. That old theater was taken down to make way for a more impressive building. This new palace was planned to celebrate 100 years of Mexico's independence in 1910. An Italian architect named Adamo Boari started designing and building it in 1904. But there were some big problems: the ground was too soft, and Mexico had a revolution. Because of this, construction stopped completely in 1913.

Building started again in 1932 with a Mexican architect named Federico Mariscal. He finished the palace, and it officially opened on November 29, 1934. The outside of the building looks like Art Nouveau and Neoclassical styles, while the inside is mostly Art Deco. The Palacio de Bellas Artes is famous for its huge murals by artists like Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. It also hosts many shows, including the famous Ballet Folklórico de México.

History of the Palace

The land where the palace stands used to have an old convent built in 1680. But even before that, ancient Mexica people had important structures there, like a special altar shaped like a plumed snake.

Later, in the 1860s, the convent closed, and the area became a textile factory and homes. In the late 1800s, part of this area was cleared to build the National Theater. This theater was the main place for cultural events in Mexico City, showing plays, operas, and dances.

However, leaders decided they needed an even grander building to celebrate Mexico's 100th year of independence in 1910. So, the old theater was torn down in 1901. The new building was going to be called the Gran Teatro de Ópera. The job went to Italian architect Adamo Boari, who liked neoclassical and Art Nouveau styles. He also designed the Palacio del Correo nearby.

Boari started building in 1904, promising a huge metal structure. But the heavy building began to sink into Mexico City's soft ground. Also, the Mexican Revolution caused political and money problems, stopping construction completely by 1913. Adamo Boari went back to Italy, and the project was left unfinished for about 20 years.

In 1932, a Mexican architect named Federico Mariscal took over. He finished the inside of the building, updating Boari's plans to the more modern Art Deco style. The palace was finally completed and opened on November 29, 1934. The first play performed there was "La Verdad Sospechosa." In 1946, the National Institute of Fine Arts (Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes) was created to promote the arts, and it is now located in the palace.

In 2009, the palace had a big renovation to update its old equipment and improve the sound and lighting for shows. This made it possible to have modern multimedia performances.

What the Building Looks Like

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is a mix of different building styles, mainly Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Adamo Boari designed the outside in the Art Nouveau style, and Federico Mariscal completed the inside in the Art Deco style. Since it started being built in 1904, the theater has sunk about four meters (about 13 feet) into the soft ground of Mexico City!

The front of the palace faces Avenida Juárez. The lower part of the building uses beige marble from Yautepec, Mexico. White marble from Buenavista de Cuéllar, Mexico, and Carrara, Italy, was used for the rest of the outside walls. Inside the main entrance, you'll see sculptures by Italian artist Leonardo Bistolfi. These sculptures show "Harmony" surrounded by feelings like "Pain," "Rage," "Happiness," "Peace," and "Love."

In front of the building, there are four amazing Pegasus sculptures made by Spanish artist Agustí Querol Subirats. These used to be in another famous square before they came here. The roof over the center of the building is made of crystal and was designed by Hungarian artist Géza Maróti. It shows the muses (goddesses of art) with Apollo.

The inside of the palace has three main parts: the main hall with smaller exhibit rooms, the theater, and the offices for the National Institute of Fine Arts. The main hall has the beautiful glass and iron roof designed by Maróti. From the ground floor, you can look up and see this roof and the balconies of all three upper floors.

Some parts of the main hall have ancient Mexican designs in the Art Deco style. You can see snake heads on window arches and Maya Chaac masks (Chaac was a rain god) on the light panels. The smaller exhibit rooms are on the first and second floors. The first floor has crystal lamps by Edgar Brandt and murals by Rufino Tamayo. The second floor has more exhibit rooms and murals by famous artists like José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Diego Rivera. The third floor is home to the Museum of Architecture.

The theater entrance has bronze masks of Tlaloc and Chaac, the Aztec and Maya gods of water. Above the stage, there are sculptures of mythological figures like the Muses with Apollo, made in Hungary. But the most amazing part of the stage is its "curtain." It's a huge stained-glass panel made from almost a million pieces of colorful glass by Tiffany's in New York. This curtain is the only one of its kind in any opera house in the world and weighs 24 tons! The design on the curtain shows the famous volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl in the center, surrounded by a Mexican landscape. The theater can seat 1,590 people.

Events and Performances

The Palacio de Bellas Artes has been the setting for many important events in music, dance, theater, opera, and literature. It has also hosted major exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, and photographs. Many famous artists and groups from Mexico and other countries have performed or shown their work here. It's truly known as the "Cathedral of Art in Mexico." In 1987, UNESCO declared it an artistic monument. About 10,000 people visit the palace every week.

Two of the most well-known groups that perform regularly are the Ballet Folklórico de México and the National Symphonic Orchestra. The Ballet Folklórico performs twice a week, showcasing traditional Mexican dances from different regions. Their shows often include Aztec dances, agricultural dances, and celebrations with mariachis and marimba players.

The palace also hosts annual events like the Premio Quorum for Mexican designers and the Premios Ariel for Mexican films. Many individual events have taken place here, including art exhibitions and performances by famous singers like Luciano Pavarotti.

Sometimes, the plaza in front of the palace is used for peaceful protests, like those against bullfighting.

Honoring Important People

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is also a special place where Mexico honors and remembers important artists and cultural figures. These people receive a special tribute because of their great work and contributions. In total, 65 people have been honored with a farewell ceremony at the palace. The first was the muralist José Clemente Orozco in 1949. Here are some of the famous individuals who were honored here:

Famous Murals Inside

The walls on the floors between the ground floor and the top floor are covered with many large paintings called murals. These were painted by some of the most famous artists of Mexican muralism.

On the second floor, you can see two works from the early 1950s by Rufino Tamayo: México de Hoy (Mexico Today) and Nacimiento de la Nacionalidad (Birth of Nationality). This second mural shows how the Mexican identity was formed by mixing indigenous and Spanish cultures.

On the west side of the third floor is Diego Rivera's El hombre controlador del universo (Man, Controller of the Universe). This mural was first made for the Rockefeller Center in New York in 1933. It shows different ideas about technology and society, like discoveries made with microscopes and telescopes. However, it caused some controversy because it included images of Lenin. The Rockefeller family was not happy, and the unfinished mural was destroyed. Rivera then recreated it here in 1934.

On the north side of the third floor, you'll find David Alfaro Siqueiros' three-part mural called La Nueva Democracia (The New Democracy). Also, Rivera's four-part mural, Carnaval de la Vida Mexicana (Carnival of Mexican Life), is here. On the east side is José Clemente Orozco's La Katharsis (Catharsis), which shows the struggle between human nature and society.

Museums in the Palace

Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts

The Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes (Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts) is the group that takes care of the permanent murals and other artworks in the building. They also organize temporary exhibits. These exhibits feature both Mexican and international artists, focusing on art from different time periods.

National Museum of Architecture

The Museo Nacional de Arquitectura (Museum of Architecture) is located on the top floor of the building, right under the beautiful glass and iron roof. It has exhibits about famous Mexican architects, including models, designs, and photos of their major works. The museum also shares its collections with other places so more people can learn about Mexico's rich architectural history. Some of the important architects featured here are Jaime Ortiz Monasterio, Carlos Mijares Bracho, Adamo Boari, and Luis Barragán.

Images for kids

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  Inner canopy

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  Art Deco depiction of Chaac on a light panel

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  Interior view of the dome, Géza Maróti

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  Interior of the main concert hall

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  El hombre controlador del universo (Man at the Crossroads), 1934, Rivera

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  Liberación (Liberation) or La humanidad se libera de la miseria (Humanity is released from Misery), 1963, Jorge González Camarena

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  View of the interior art deco

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  Sunset in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, aerial view

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  Palacio de Bellas Artes and Torre Latinoamericana

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  Night view of the Palacio de Bellas Artes

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  Night view with warm lighting

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  One of the mascarons made by Adamo Boari in the facade

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  The music, work of Leonardo Bistolfi

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  The Virile Age, André-Joseph Allar

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  Art Nouveau eagle sculpture

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  360° panoramic view of Plaza de Bellas Artes in the Historic center of Mexico City. Visible are Teatro Hidalgo, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Palacio Postal, Banco de México, Torre Latinoamericana, Edificio La Nacional, Avenida Juárez, Edificio del Tribunal Superior de Justicia del DF, ex Hotel Bamer, Sheraton Hotel and Alameda Central.

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  Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1915, under construction

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  The building during its construction, 1928.

See also

In Spanish: Palacio de Bellas Artes (Ciudad de México) para niños

• Auditorio Nacional (Mexico)