Museo Soumaya

The Museo Soumaya is a big art museum.

It is in Mexico City.

You can see many things there. There are over 66,000 pieces of art.

Some are old statues. Some are bright paintings.

The museum has art from many lands. It has art from Mexico. It also has art from Europe.

You can see art by famous people. One man made many statues. Another man made strange shapes.

It is free to visit. Many people go there to see the art. It is a special place for everyone.

The Museo Soumaya is a famous art museum in Mexico City.

It has two main buildings. One is in Plaza Loreto. The other is in Plaza Carso.

The new building is very special. It has six floors. The outside is covered in 16,000 shiny metal tiles. These tiles are shaped like hexagons. The building was designed by Fernando Romero.

The museum holds over 66,000 works of art.

You can see art from 30 centuries. There are old coins from Mexico. There are also many beautiful paintings. Some art comes from Europe. Other art comes from Mexico. You can see works by famous artists like Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso. The museum has a very large collection of statues by Auguste Rodin. In fact, it has the largest collection of his works outside of France. Carlos Slim started the museum. He named it after his wife, Soumaya Domit. Visiting the museum is free for everyone. This helps people see great art without paying a fee.

The Museo Soumaya is a special place for art in Mexico City.

It is a private museum that helps people learn about culture. This museum is very important because it brings famous art to Mexico. Many people in Mexico cannot travel to Europe to see these treasures. Carlos Slim wanted to bring the art to them instead. The museum is named after his wife, Soumaya Domit.

It is a gift to the people of the city.

Inside the museum, you can find over 66,000 different works of art.

You can walk through many different levels to see them all. One floor has beautiful gold and silver items and old coins. Another floor shows paintings from the 15th to the 20th centuries. You might see works by famous artists like Vincent van Gogh or Pablo Picasso. There is also a huge collection of statues by Auguste Rodin. In fact, it is the largest collection of his art outside of France.

The history of the museum has two different parts. The first building opened in 1994 in a place called Plaza Loreto.

This site used to be a wheat mill and later a paper mill. After some fires happened, the area was turned into a museum. The second, newer building opened in 2011 in Plaza Carso.

This building was designed by the architect Fernando Romero. He is the son-in-law of Carlos Slim.

The new building in Plaza Carso is very interesting to look at. It has six floors and is covered in 16,000 shiny aluminum tiles. These tiles are shaped like hexagons. The building cost $70 million to build. It stays strong because of 28 curved steel columns. The floors inside are made of high-quality marble from Greece.

Sunlight even shines in through the top floor.

Visiting the Museo Soumaya is a way to see the world.

In 2013, over one million people visited the museum. By October 2015, five million people had walked through its doors. It is the most visited art museum in all of Mexico. Best of all, admission is free for everyone to enjoy. This allows anyone to discover amazing history and art. It connects the people of Mexico to the great artists of the past.

The Museo Soumaya is a private, non-profit cultural institution located in Mexico City.

It serves as a massive repository for global art history, housing over 66,000 individual works. The museum's mission is to increase the "humanistic capital" of the city. Founder Carlos Slim intended to bring prestigious European art directly to Mexico. This allows people to experience these treasures without traveling to Europe. The museum is named in honor of Soumaya Domit, the late wife of Carlos Slim.

The museum operates across two distinct locations in Mexico City. The first site is Plaza Loreto in the San Ángel district. This original building opened in 1994 and occupies a site with a long industrial history. The second, more modern site is Plaza Carso in the Nuevo Polanco district. This main collection building opened to the public on March 28, 2011.

The Plaza Carso location was designed by the architect Fernando Romero. The construction of this massive facility cost approximately $70 million. It is part of a larger $800 million mixed-use development.

The Plaza Carso building is a striking six-story structure.

Its exterior is covered in 16,000 hexagonal aluminum tiles. The building's stability is maintained by a complex exoskeleton. This system includes 28 vertical curved steel columns and seven encircling beams. The roof is kept stable through a cantilever suspension system. Inside, the floors are made of high-quality marble imported from Greece. The top floor is designed to be illuminated by natural sunlight. The building also features a library, a restaurant, and a 350-seat auditorium.

The collection is organized into several specific levels for visitors.

The entrance foyer hosts temporary exhibitions and large-format works. Level 1 focuses on decorative arts, including gold, silver, and coins. Level 2 is dedicated to temporary exhibitions. Level 3 contains European and Novohispanic Old Masters. This includes artists like Tintoretto and Murillo. Level 4 explores movements from Impressionism to the Avant-garde. It features masters like Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. Level 6 is the Julián and Linda Slim gallery. This level showcases the Rodin era and surrealist sculptures by Salvador Dalí.

One of the museum's most significant features is its Rodin collection. The museum holds the largest collection of Auguste Rodin sculpture casts outside of France. It also possesses the world's largest private collection of his work. Carlos Slim owns a total of 380 Rodin works and casts. This collection includes pieces by Rodin's pupils and associates, such as Camille Claudel. The museum also holds the world's largest collection of pre-Hispanic and colonial era coins. The most valuable single work is likely a version of the Madonna of the Yarnwinder. This painting is attributed to a member of Leonardo da Vinci's circle.

The history of the Plaza Loreto site is quite complex. The land was once part of an encomienda belonging to Hernán Cortés. His son, Martín Cortés, installed a wheat watermill on the site. This facility later became a paper mill during the 19th century. A fire broke out in 1905, leading to a change in ownership. In 1906, Alberto Lenz converted the site into a factory. This factory was named Fábrica de Papel de Loreto y Peña Pobre. Another fire in the 1980s destroyed most of the facilities. This led to the urban conversion that created the museum in 1994.

The museum has seen immense popularity since its founding. In 2013, it recorded 1,095,000 visitors. This made it the most visited art museum in Mexico. By October 2015, the museum welcomed its five millionth visitor.

To ensure accessibility, admission to the museum is free of charge. The operating costs are covered by the fortune of Carlos Slim. While the museum is celebrated, it has also faced critical reviews. Some critics have commented on the relationship between the art and the interior layout. Others have debated the architectural design of the exterior. Despite these views, the museum remains a major cultural landmark in Mexico City.