Peek inside the Munal - Mexico City

Our residence in Mexico City faced the most beautiful building which we later found out was the MUNAL: The National Museum of Art and so we just had to explore the inside for the Art and Architecture. We were not disappointed…..in fact I may have been walking around with my jaw dragging on the floor the entire time.

The building, which formerly served as the Palace of Communications and Public Works, is located in the heart of Mexico City’s Historic Center and is considered one of the country’s most important architectural works of the early 20th century. It was designed and built by Italian architect Silvio Contri who blended the architectural design into something eclectic, mixing elements of past architectural styles, which is characteristic of that time period. This blending would later solidify into a movement called “modernismo” both because of the tendency to use newly devised construction techniques and the tendency to use metal in the decorative aspects, to symbolize progress in the Industrial Age.

The decorative elements of the building were done by the Coppedé family of Florence, who designed the door knockers, the window frames, the leaded crystal, the stonework, the furniture, lamps and ironwork among many other elements. Over the years, much of the Palace deteriorated until around 2000, when Project MUNAL restored the palace to its original look, while also adding the latest technology for the preservation of artistic works.

The museum was founded in 1982 as the Museo Nacional de Arte, and re-inaugurated in 2000, after reopening its doors to the public as MUNAL after intense remodeling and technical upgrades to the facility. It currently focuses on the exhibition, study and diffusion of Mexican and international art from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century.

Its permanent collection contains more than 3,000 pieces and has 5,500m2 of exhibition space. MUNAL is a subdivision of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and as part of this organization is involved in projects concerning the conservation, exhibition, and study of the fine arts of Mexico.

Artwork by Diego Rivera

Would we go back to see it, a huge YES and definitely spend more time soaking in the architecture and all the metal fittings detail.