Palacio de Bellas Artes
Art Nouveau and Art Deco palace of the arts, with murals by Rivera and Siqueiros and a national theatre.
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is Mexico's foremost cultural centre, standing at the western edge of Mexico City's historic centre beside the Alameda Central. Construction began on 1 October 1904 as a new national theatre for the centenary of independence, designed by the Italian architect Adamo Boari. Work slowed and then stopped during the Mexican Revolution, and the building was left unfinished for almost two decades. The Mexican architect Federico Mariscal resumed the project in 1932, and the palace was inaugurated on 29 November 1934.
The long gestation shows in the architecture. The exterior, clad in white Carrara marble, is largely Art Nouveau and Neoclassical, crowned by domes covered in coloured tiles, whereas Mariscal's interiors are Art Deco, incorporating pre-Hispanic motifs. The main hall has a glass curtain made by Tiffany Studios in New York, depicting the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl after a design based on the work of Dr Atl. The heavy building has sunk several metres into the soft lakebed soil since construction began.
Today the palace is run by the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL). Its upper floors hold murals by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayo and others, while the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes stages temporary exhibitions. The main hall is home to the Ópera de Bellas Artes and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, and hosts regular performances by the Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández. The building was declared an artistic monument in 1987.
Highlights
- Tiffany glass stage curtain depicting the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
- Murals by Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros and Tamayo on the upper floors
- Art Nouveau marble exterior with tiled domes, and Art Deco interiors
- Weekly performances by the Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández
- Home stage of the Ópera de Bellas Artes and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional
