MARCO – Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey
Ricardo Legorreta's 1991 contemporary art museum on Monterrey's Macroplaza, beside the cathedral.
MARCO, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey, opened in June 1991 in a purpose-built home by the Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta. It stands on the Macroplaza beside the city's cathedral, and its blank ochre walls, deep window recesses and vaulted entrance porch draw on colonial and vernacular building in northern Mexico. Twelve galleries are arranged around a large covered patio whose sunken pool is fed by a cascade released at intervals through the day. Juan Soriano's monumental bronze dove, Paloma, marks the corner entrance.
The museum was founded by a group of Monterrey business figures and is run by a private association rather than the state. Its collection and exhibition programme concentrate on Mexican and Latin American art since the 1980s, and it has mounted large surveys of painting, photography and design as well as single-artist retrospectives. Courses, workshops and talks run alongside the galleries, and a digital guide available in many languages accompanies the displays. A restaurant and shop occupy part of the ground floor.
Highlights
- Ricardo Legorreta's 1991 building of ochre walls and deep porches
- Juan Soriano's monumental bronze dove, Paloma, at the entrance
- Twelve galleries set around a covered patio with a cascading pool
- Collection of Mexican and Latin American art since the 1980s
