Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli

The Museo Diego Rivera - Anahuacalli

The Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli (also: Museo Anahuacalli ) is a museum for pre-Columbian art in Mexico City . It goes back to Diego Rivera , whose collection of over 50,000 objects is presented in it. The process of building and furnishing the Museo Anahuacalli began in 1942, the building was completed in 1963 and opened in 1964. The museum building is based on the pre-Columbian pyramid architecture. The museum is managed by the director Hilda Trujillo Soto .

history

The Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli was originally planned by Diego Rivera to be the home and home of his pre-Columbian collection. In 1942 he acquired land in San Pablo Tepetla , which at that time was still outside Mexico City. There he had the foundation of the house built without building permission, and on March 30, 1944, he received permission to build the Museo Anahuacalli. Rivera planned next to the building for his collection, but a complex that should combine architecture, painting, dance, music, theater, handicrafts and ecology. In August 1955, Diego Rivera entrusted the Banco Nacional de México with the trusteeship of his work and that of Frida Kahlo, in addition, the trustee also took over the administration of the Museo Anahuacalli and the Museo Frida Kahlo . When Rivera died in 1957, the museum was still under construction. His daughter Ruth Rivera and the architect Juan O'Gorman supervised the further construction work. The museum was only completed in 1963 with the financial support of Dolores Olmedo and opened in 1964.

architecture

The building is based on the pre-Columbian pyramid architecture. It refers to the shape of the Teocalli , a pyramid with a temple on top. The architecture takes up elements that refer to the Teotihuacan culture, the Maya and the Aztecs . The Museo Anhuacalli was integrated into the surrounding landscape. During the planning phase, Diego Rivera was in contact with Frank Lloyd Wright , with whom he discussed the question of how the building could fit into the surrounding nature. The central square was designed as a theater. It gives access to the museum and a smaller gallery. It was built from the black volcanic rock on which it is located. The Mexican writer Carlos Pellicar wrote about the museum: “The atmosphere of this museum created by its brilliant donor is unequaled anywhere in the world. Its degree of spirituality and beauty makes Anahuacalli an unforgettable museum ... The personal effort and the artistic genius of the collector and his touching generosity, come together in this museum in a monumental fashion. "

Entrance area
Hall upstairs
Roof terrace
window

collection

The Museo Anahuacalli includes the 50,000 objects large collection that Rivera had amassed throughout his life and which encompass almost all cultures of pre-Columbian Mexico.