A naturally glowing surface woven with hexagons, a building which gives the viewer a feeling of movement and an enormous collection of artworks including over 66,000 pieces, Museo Soumaya is unsurprisingly Mexico City’s the most favorite museum. Since its opening in 1994, the museum has become a city landmark. With its collection which spans from Mexican muralists and painters to renowned artists, Botticelli, Rodin, Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh and Picasso, Soumaya Museum offers its visitors a rich art experience. (Cover Photo: modernindenver.com)
Soumaya Museum, located in Northern Mexico City, is founded by one of the world’s richest men, Carlos Slim Helu. The museum is named after Helu’s late wife and opened its doors to the public in 1994. It gained a worldwide recognition after the opening of its new museum building in 2011. $70 million building which was designed by famous architect Fernando Romero hosts the museum’s permanent collection and program of events. Located in Plaza Carso in the northern side of the city, the spectacular building is tiled with 16,000 aluminium hexagons which give it a peculiarly geometric yet organic look. The glimmering, windowless, and metallic building has a solid structure, which gives the viewer a sense of movement.
If you thought the exterior was breathtaking, the interior is even more impressive. The six storey building covers approximately a 16.000 square meter space. The interior space reflects a white and plain colour palette. When you enter inside, you’re met by a minimalist hall which leads to a massive principal foyer and six gallery rooms, all made of marble floors. This spiral-staircased building has a sun-bathed top floor leading the visitors towards the glowing halls of upper floors.
The collection is an amalgamation of the European and Mexican art, and pieces roughly date from the 15th-20th centuries. Including several works by Old Masters, the museum also houses a plenty of Mexican artworks. In addition, The Soumaya also has some unique pieces including a rare collection of pre-Hispanic and Colonial coins on the first floor and a world-renowned collection of Rodin sculptures housed on the sixth floor.
Besides, the museum surprizes its visitors with famous The Thinker in the foyer, Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder and Juan de Sáenz’s the Virgen de Guadalupe con las cuatro apariciones in the museum. The collection also hosts works by renowned Mexican artists including Diego Rivera, David Siquiros and Rufino Tamayo. With its masterpieces, sparkling structure, endless energy, and most importantly with its rich collection, Soumaya Museum continues to be unique and raise wonder every single day.
Simge Erdoğan