The Palacio de Bellas Artes ("Palace of Fine Arts") is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bellas Artes" for short, has been called the "art cathedral of Mexico", and is located on the western side of the historic center of Mexico City which is close to the Alameda Central park.

Bellas Artes replaced the original National Theater, built in the late 19th century. The latter was demolished as part of urban redesign in Mexico City, and a more opulent building was planned to celebrate the centennial of the Mexican War of Independence in 1910. The initial design and construction was undertaken by Italian architect Adamo Boari in 1904, but complications arising from the soft subsoil and the political problem both before and during the Mexican Revolution, hindered then stopped construction completely by 1913. Construction resumed in 1932 under Mexican architect and was completed in 1934. It was then inaugurated on 29 November 1934.

The exterior of the building is primarily Art Nouveau and Neoclassical and the interior is primarily Art Deco. The building is best known for its murals by González Camarena, Diego Rivera, Siqueiros and others, as well as the many exhibitions and theatrical performances it hosts, including the Ballet Folklórico de México.

History

thumb|right|275px|La armonía (Harmony), 1910, [[Leonardo Bistolfi]]

The oldest known structure on the site was the Convent of Santa Isabel, whose church was built in 1680. However, significant Mexica finds, such as a sacrificial altar in the shape of a plumed snake have been found here. The convent area suffered frequent drought during the early canal period and development here grew quickly.

In spite of this, the convent remained until it was forcibly closed in the 1860s by the Reform Laws. It was replaced by a textile mill and lower-class housing. Adamo Boari promised in October 1904 to build a grand metallic structure, which at that time only existed in the United States, but not to this size. The first stone of the building was placed by Porfirio Díaz in 1904. Despite the 1910 deadline, by 1913, the building was hardly begun with only a basic shell. One reason for this is that the project became more complicated than anticipated as the heavy building sank into the soft spongy subsoil. The other reason was the political and economic instability that would lead to the Mexican Revolution. Full hostilities suspended construction of the palace completely and Adamo Boari returned to Italy. In 1946, the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Institute of the Fine Arts) was created as a government agency to promote the arts and was initially housed at the Museo Nacional de Artes Plásticas, the Museo del Libro and other places. It is now at the Palacio. Upgrades to the theatre will allow for multimedia shows which were not available before. The main hall has had no renovation or upgrade work since it opened in 1934.

The main facade faces Avenida Juárez. The building uses beige marble from Yautepec, Morelos for the lower structure, while white marbles from Buenavista de Cuéllar, Guerrero and Carrara, Italy were used for the facades. In the interior of the portal are sculptures by Italian Leonardo Bistolfi. It consists of "Harmony", surrounded by "Pain", "Rage", "Happiness", "Peace" and "Love". Another portion of the facade contains cherubs and sculptures representing music and inspiration.

Events

thumb|Interior of the main concert hall

The Palace has been the scene of some of the most notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature and has hosted important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. It has hosted some of the biggest names from both Mexico and abroad. It has hosted poetry events as well as those related to popular culture. Artists and companies are from all parts of Mexico and abroad. It has been called the "Cathedral of Art in Mexico".

Two of the best-known groups which regularly perform here are the Ballet Folklórico de México Compania Nacional de Opera de Bellas Artes and the National Symphonic Orchestra. The first performs in the theatre twice a week and is a spectacle of pre and post Hispanic dance of Mexico. A typical program includes Aztec ritual dances, agricultural dances from Jalisco, a fiesta in Veracruz, a wedding celebration — all accompanies by mariachis, marimba players and singers. and the Premios Ariel for Mexican films.

Numerous individual events have been held here. These include several exhibitions of Frida Kahlo's work, and a number of appearances by Luciano Pavarotti. In 1987, Bellas Artes hosted a legendary performance of Jesusa Rodríguez's Donna Giovanni, an adaptation of Mozart's opera with a female cast. Other appearances have been made by Mexican baritone Jorge Lagunes (2002) and Catalan guitarist Joan Manuel Serrat (2003). Events that have been held here include "ABCDF Palabras de Ciudad" (2002) showing life in popular housing in photographs and video, "Bordados del Mexico Antiguo" (Embroidery of Old Mexico) showing processes, history and design, and "Exchanging Views: Visions of Latin America" which was an exhibit from the collection of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros comprising 148 works by 72 artists from across Latin America in 2006.

Occasionally, the plaza in front of the Palace is the scene of protests such as those against the Iraq War in 2003 and against bullfighting in 2010.

Memorial services

The Palacio de Bellas Artes has also been a place for honoring and mourning important figures from the world of arts and culture. These people were recognized with a special tribute because of their work and contributions to their fields. In total, 65 people have received this kind of farewell at the Palace. The first was the muralist José Clemente Orozco in 1949. Here are some of the individuals who were honored with their body present at the site:

  • José Clemente Orozco; 1949
  • Virginia Fábregas; 1950
  • Frida Kahlo; 1954
  • Diego Rivera; 1957
  • ; 1970
  • Agustín Lara; 1970
  • David Alfaro Siqueiros; 1974
  • Rosario Castellanos; 1974
  • Jorge González Camarena; 1980
  • Juan Rulfo; 1986
  • Rufino Tamayo; 1991
  • Mario Moreno Cantinflas; 1993
  • Lola Beltrán; 1996
  • Gabriel Figueroa; 1997
  • Octavio Paz; 1998
  • Amalia Hernández; 2000
  • María Félix; 2002
  • Andrés Henestrosa; 2008
  • Carlos Monsiváis; 2010
  • Roberto Cantoral; 2010
  • Alí Chumacero; 2010
  • Leonora Carrington; 2011
  • Pedro Armendáriz, Jr; 2011
  • Carlos Fuentes; 2012
  • Chavela Vargas; 2012
  • Ernesto de la Peña; 2012
  • Joaquín Cordero; 2013
  • Carmen Montejo; 2013
  • José Emilio Pacheco; 2014
  • Gabriel García Márquez; 2014
  • Vicente Leñero; 2014
  • Juan Gabriel; 2016
  • José Luis Cuevas; 2017
  • Fernando del Paso; 2018
  • Rafael Coronel; 2019
  • Miguel León Portilla; 2019
  • José José; 2019
  • Gilberto Aceves Navarro; 2019
  • Mario Lavista; 2021
  • Héctor Bonilla; 2022
  • Federico Silva; 2022
  • Ignacio López Tarso; 2023
  • Silvia Pinal; 2024

Murals

The floors between the ground floor and the uppermost floor are dominated by a number of murals painted by most of the famous names of Mexican muralism.

Museo Nacional de Arquitectura

The Museo Nacional de Arquitectura (Museum of Architecture) occupies the top floor of the building, covered by the glass and iron roof. It contains exhibitions from renowned Mexican architects including models, designs and photographs of major works. The museum also arranges temporary exhibitions of its collections in other facilities to expose the Mexican public to the country's rich architectural heritage. Some of the major architects featured at the museum include Jaime Ortiz Monasterio, Carlos Mijares Bracho, Adamo Boari and Luis Barragán. The museum is divided into four sections called "Arquitectura-contrastes: Jaime Ortiz Monasterio y Carlos Mijares Bracho", "Corpus Urbanístico de la Ciudad de México", "Teatro Nacional de México (Plano original)" and "Teatro Nacional de México." There are also temporary exhibits on contemporary architecture.

File:044669 26 070 TEATRO NACIONAL NOVIEMBRE 28 1928 (33762325090).jpg|The building during its construction, 1928.

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See also

  • Auditorio Nacional (Mexico)

References

Further reading

  • Palacio de Bellas Artes website at palacio.bellasartes.gob.mx/