Palacio de Bellas Artes

The Palacio de Bellas Artes ( dt . : Palace of Fine Arts ) is the most important cultural institution in Mexico .

The palace is located in the historic center of Mexico City . The monumental building is considered to be the highest and most important cultural center in Mexico, which is dedicated to theater, dance, music and opera, the visual arts, literature and architecture. For this reason, the UNESCO declared the building an art monument in 1987 .

History of the palace

Construction of the building began on October 1, 1904. The aim was to replace the national theater that had previously been deliberately destroyed and which was perceived as a relic of colonialism . The Italian architect Adamo Boari was commissioned with the project of the Palacio de Bellas Artes and should complete it within four years. However, this deadline could not be met due to some problems. The swampy earth of Mexico caused structural subsidence , there were also financial bottlenecks and finally Boari went back to Italy due to the Mexican Revolution . With the help of the more than 4,000 documents that the builder left in Mexico, construction was restarted in the following years, but could not be completed.

During a more stable social and economic situation, construction resumed in 1931 under the leadership of the architect Federico Mariscal and in March 1934 the completion took place. On September 29, 1934, the official inauguration took place by the then President Abelardo L. Rodríguez .

When the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura was founded in 1946 , the Palacio de Bellas Artes was chosen as the institution's permanent seat. It was not until 1994 that Boari's planned Plaza de Bellas Artes (English: Square of Fine Arts ) was completed in front of the palace. In this context, an underground car park was built under the square.

Architectural style and furnishings

Boari combined different styles of his time in his plans, with the Belle Époque style as well as neoclassical and pre-Hispanic motifs dominating.

The facade of the palace was made of white marble and the interior of the building was made of different colored marble. This is why the building is so heavy that the palace stands a few meters lower than the surrounding streets.

The walls of the palace are adorned with works by various well-known muralists , including murals by José Clemente Orozco , Diego Riveras and David Alfaro Siqueiross . There are also sculptures by André Allar dedicated to the seven muses in the palace . Ten ornate iron gates of the building were commissioned from the Italian Alessandro Mazzucotelli . The bronze group of sculptures that adorns the top of the main dome was made by the Hungarian Géza Maróti , while the actual domes were designed by Roberto Álvarez Espinoza in Art Deco style.

The palace houses various stages and halls for the staging and exhibition of works of art. The “Great Drama Hall” seems to be worth mentioning, with seating for over 1,900 spectators and a 24-meter-long stage with a 22-ton crystal curtain.

The national symphony orchestra as well as the national theater society, the national opera society and the national dance company present their performances in the Palacio.

inside view
Front view with main entrance
dome
Dome from the inside

and display information about the image

360 ° panorama of the Plaza Bellas Artes in the historic center of Mexico City. You can see Teatro Hidalgo, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Palacio Postal, Banco de México, Torre Latinoamericana , Edificios La Nacional, Avenida Juárez, Edificio del Tribunal Superior de Justicia del DF, the former Hotel Bamer, Hotel Sheraton and Alameda Central.