Art in Cities: Mexico City
The best art to see; plus where to eat, what to do, and what to read.
Art Lovers! Welcome to my new series for paid subscribers: Art in Cities, where I share my top tips for finding the best art in cities – plus, where to eat, what to do, and the books to get you in the mood.
“Cities are a language I speak,” as wrote Octavia Bright in her brilliant memoir, This Ragged Grace. So, without further ado, here’s my guide to Mexico City, where I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last month.
This article is divided into 5 Parts: (1) Museums; (2) Galleries; (3) Food; (4) Don’t miss; (5) Books. Enjoy!
1. Museums
Museo Frida Kahlo:
Also known as Casa Azul, this is the former home of the legendary artist, Frida Kahlo, and features her clothes, corsets, paints, and books. Entering it is like stepping into her world (and mind!). My favourite part? The butterflies installed above her bed by the artist, Noguchi. Patti Smith visited years later, and wrote a beautiful poem in response, Noguchi’s Butterflies. Read it here.
For more Frida: I wrote and presented a BBC Radio 3 programme on Kahlo’s The Broken Column (1944) for The Essay. Listen or read.
Museo Nacional de Anthropologia
Home of the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican artefacts – from Mexica, to Maya, Teotihuacanos and more – this is one of the richest museums I’ve ever visited. You’ll need a few hours (and I went back twice). I was especially by struck by these objects depicting pregnant women. In the middle pre-Classic period (2300 BC to 100 AC) pregnant women were held up as very important as they were seen to “bring fertility” to the land:
As well as the ancient treasures, it’s home to Leonora Carrington’s mural The Magical World of the Maya (1964), commissioned at a time when there was growing interest in the country’s pre-Columbian past.
The Barragán Houses:
Architect Luis Barragán built the modern masterpiece Casa Luis Barragán in 1947. The house mixes Mexican traditions with modernist principles, Moroccan fountains and monastic sparseness, and unifies the architect’s influences. As well as admiring the building, you can see works by Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera. Like many of his houses around the city, it is inconspicuous from the street – and an oasis of geometry and light.
Also: Visit Casa Gilardi in San Miguel Chapultepec ( + dine at Mari Gold after):
And Casa Pedregal in the South ( + be sure to dine at Tetetlan!):
Museo Anahuacalli
Diego Rivera (1886-1957) collected what he termed idolage (Pre-Columbian era figures). Anahuacalli, the remarkable museum, was built to house his collection and to construct a sense of continuity between these objects and ‘modern’ art. Completed in 1964, the Anahuacalli serves as a maquette of the universe; a hybrid between mountain and cave: you enter it in the underworld, move upstairs towards earth, and end at the top with the afterlife.
Palace of Fine Arts
Host to exhibitions and performing arts, the Palace of Fine Arts is a cultural centre that mixes Neoclassical architecture with Art Nouveau. Don’t miss the murals by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jorge González Camarena.
National Palace
This is home to further murals, including Rivera’s famous The History of Mexico (1929-1935), which traces a story of the country from the Aztecs to Mexican revolts, the Inquisition to colonial destruction, and, finally, resistance and revolution:
Museo Dolores Olmedo
Built around the collection of businesswoman Doloros Olmedo, this museum is currently in transit as it moves to another neighbourhood in CDMX. But, as we wait, inside you will find traditional objects and sculptures, including a room dedicated to Frida Kahlo, ft. The Broken Column (1944), and work by Angelina Beloff (1879-1969), a Russian artist who lived and worked in Mexico:
Museo de Arte Moderno
Boasting works by Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Olga Costa, Rosa Castillo, and Frida Kahlo’s iconic Two Fridas (1939), the Museo de Arte Moderno is a must for any great women art lover.
Museo Tamayo Art Contemporáneo
In the middle of Chapultepec Park, nearby the Museo de Arte Moderno and Museo Nacional de Anthropologia, is the Museo Tamayo Art Contemporáneo. See works by the Argentine artist Fernanda Laguna (b.1972) and the Mexican-America artist Virginia Jaramillo (b.1939), as well as Barbara Hepworth and Georgia O’Keeffe. Then cool down by listening to some classical music at Audiorama.
2. Galleries
Galería OMR
I love this gallery’s programme! They represent artists such as Pia Camil, Claudia Comte, Ana Montiel and Candida Höfer. Plus, don’t miss Lago Algo, a cultural centre/ art space/ restaurant run by OMR – and my favourite place to sit and work all day. It even looks over a lake:
Kurimanzutto
From Ana Segovia and Bábara Sánchez-Kane to Sofía Táboas and Paulina Olowska, Kurimanzutto represents and exhibits incredible artists. And its building – a former lumberyard – is a lovely place to dwell in. I just went to an amazing book fair there last weekend!
JO - HS
Established by Elisabeth Johs in 2020, the gallery has spaces in Mexico City and NYC. I’m especially excited for Emil Sands’s upcoming exhibition (opening Feb!).
3. Food
Contramar – a must and a classic; amazing atmosphere!
Rosetta – great Italian.
El Parnita – fun Mexican.
Sakanaya – fish/Japanese.
Wabi Sushi – very good sushi.
Pizza Félix – best pizza!
Bar El Bosque – iconic traditional Cantina.
Páramo – nice for the evening.
Los Sinaloenses – fish tacos for lunch (get the aguachile).
Hugo – super nice wine bar, drinks/food.
La Docena - fish fish fish.
Taverna - within a larger art space called General Prim, which hosts events like Salón Acme.
Coyota - seasonal, good for vegetarians.
4. Don’t miss
Biblioteca Vasconcelos
Do not miss this incredible library. It’s open to the public, and is an astonishing matrix of a building – almost like an immersive futuristic installation. Go for the architecture stay for the books!
La Lagunilla Market
Get yourself here by 10:30am on a Sunday to explore the amazing flea market. Clothes, antiques, food they have it all: it is a cultural experience. Hang around until 12pm to dance to the band, but leave (to a gallery?) before it gets too crowded.
La Laguna S.A de C .V
Previously a textile factory, La Laguna is home to small studios and businesses, including textile workshops, coffee brewers, ceramics studio and carpentry, with an emphasis on community. Read about it here.
5. Books: Read Your Way There
If you’re planning – or not planning (but still want to drink it in!) – a trip Mexico City anytime soon, here are some top reads by writers about the city itself:
Juana Inés de la Cruz – Homers Necios (You Foolish Men)
Daniel Saldaña París – ‘You must embrace the ugliness’ – the writing life in Mexico City, from Writing Life Around the World by Electric Literature
Guadalupe Nettel – Still Born and The Body Where I was Born
Octavia Paz – The Labyrinth of Solitude
Valeria Luiselli – Sidewalks and The Story of My Teeth
Paul Theroux – On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Road Trip and read an extract here.
Elena Poniatowska – Dear Diego, Leonora and Tinisima.
That’s it from me! Happy GWA’ing. I hope you make your way to this art-filled city one day. Thank you for reading this Substack. If you think someone else might enjoy this too, please spread the word and share this article. If you have any feedback, please comment below. Love Katy
LOVE THIS.
I just got back from Mexico City and it was amazing. Saving this list for my next visit!