National Art Museum

The National Museum of Art, in Mexico City

The National Museum of Art retraces the history of Mexican art, from the pre-Hispanic era to the beginning of the twentieth century, in a sumptuous building of the Manuel Tolsá square. The Mexico City audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this major museum, preceded by the famous equestrian statue of Charles IV, that gathers paintings and traditional works, including first canvases of Diego Rivera.

The Mexican art of the Manuel Tolsá square

Here is a museum that retraces the history of Mexican art, from the pre-Hispanic era to the beginning of the twentieth century. Its impressive architecture attracts the eye on this elegant square of Mexico City, named after Manuel Tolsá, a neoclassical architect to whom the completion of the works of the metropolitan cathedral and the sumptuous Palace of mines are owed. The National Museum of Art is ideal to grasp the evolution of Mexican art through the different periods that the country went through after the Spanish Conquest. In front of the elegant building that shelters it stands the equestrian statue of the King of Spain Charles IV, a remarkable work installed here in 1979 to further enhance the beauty of this already very imposing square. Inside, you discover some of the very first paintings of Diego Rivera as well as numerous traditional Mexican works, all in a building built between 1905 and 1911, adorned with Corinthian columns, wrought-iron staircases and elegant chandeliers. The route, rich and varied, allows to admire landscapes as well as portraits, historical and religious scenes, witnesses of the great currents that shaped national painting. For whoever wishes to understand the artistic soul of Mexico, this museum is an essential visit. A museum of art and a neoclassical setting, the National Museum of Art is a fine stop of the discovery of Mexico City.

What to see

Here you discover the history of Mexican art, from the pre-Hispanic era to the beginning of the twentieth century, in a sumptuous building of 1905-1911 with Corinthian columns, on the Manuel Tolsá square; in front of it stands the equestrian statue of Charles IV installed in 1979, and inside, first canvases of Diego Rivera and numerous traditional works. The National Museum of Art is a setting of Mexican art. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The National Museum of Art lies on the Manuel Tolsá square, in the historic centre of Mexico City, reachable on foot or by metro. The opening hours and the conditions of entry follow those of the establishment, which vary; access is generally paying. It is best to enquire before coming.

What to see at the National Museum of Art of Mexico City?

A panorama of Mexican art, from the pre-Hispanic era to the beginning of the twentieth century, including some of the very first paintings of Diego Rivera and numerous traditional works; the museum occupies a sumptuous building of 1905-1911 with Corinthian columns, on the Manuel Tolsá square, in front of which stands the equestrian statue of King Charles IV, installed in 1979.

Where is the National Museum of Art in Mexico City?

On the Manuel Tolsá square, in the historic centre of Mexico City, in Mexico.