An Art & Design Lover’s Guide to Mexico City

Header image: Cuadra San Cristobal, Luis Barragán. Credit: Marina Denisova / Kintzing.

No trip to Mexico City is complete without experiencing the work of Luis Barragán, the master of modernism. Barragán was an architect surrounded by artists, which owes to his unique aesthetic vocabulary defined by geometric forms and vivid colours reminiscent of those found in pueblos. He merges modernity with tradition, resulting in a timeless expression of Mexican craft and architecture. Barragán moved to Mexico City in 1936 where he created his most talked–about works; you can visit them all and embark on a Barragán pilgrimage of sorts.

The architect's own home and studio, Casa Luis Barragán, is a sensible starting point. From there, walk a few minutes down the same street to the lesser known Casa Ortega, which marks a period of experimentation where Barragán started to explore a more emotional form of architecture. The home also reveals Barragán’s sensitivity to what sits beyond the walls with landscaping made up of sculptures, secret paths, vegetation and lawns. For those with an appetite for more, venture to Los Clubes, the once–rural area northeast of Mexico City, for the famous pink–hued walls of Cuadra San Cristóbal. But, the serenity and silence Barragán aspired towards is most palpable in the Capuchin Convent Chapel, which is faithfully preserved by nuns to this day. Make sure to book in advance though, you won’t want to miss out on this.

A growing network of independent galleries dedicated to spotlighting emerging artists are taking up space all over the city. In San Miguel Chapultepec, MASA gallery explores the blurred parameters that distinguish art from design. In the same neighborhood, Kurimanzutto was founded back in the 90s in response to the lack of galleries committed to Mexico’s contemporary art scene, and continues to support emerging artists, funding the projects that are too subversive for commercial galleries. Further cementing Mexico City’s reputation as a hub for contemporary art, OMR nurtures both emerging and established artists. Extending its reach beyond the white walled archetype, OMR co–founded LagoAlgo back in 2022 as a cultural centre in a historic modernist building in Chapultepec Park, the green lungs of the city. If you've got more time, mark these other galleries on your map: JO–HS, Studio Ima, N.A.S.A.L, Museo Tamayo and PEANA.

Mexico City turns the notion of a traditional library on its head, instead delivering architectural masterpieces packed with suspended bookshelves and Vitra furniture, archive reference libraries and queer–leaning bookstores. Designed by Alberto Kalach, Biblioteca Vasconcelos is a monumental public library that merges architecture with literature; get lost in its cavernous depths and pull a book to read from the comfort of a chocolate brown Panton Chair. Inside the private home and studio of Mexican sculptor Pedro Reyes, you’ll find his personal collection of rare books available to peruse and borrow. All that’s required to visit the library and loan a book from one of Mexico’s most revered living artists is a direct message to this account. In the rapidly evolving heart of Roma, Casa Bosques offers a curated edit of magazines, journals and books from small regional publishers. Book an appointment to view the reference library upstairs which features out–of–print books (and a pair of white gloves for leafing through) that contextualises some of the city’s iconic art and design landmarks.

While the contemporary scene is booming, to understand the present you have to look back to the past. Museo Anahuacalli features Diego Rivera’s private collection of over 2000 pre–Hispanic artefacts housed in a monolithic, Mesoamerican building designed with Juan O’Gorman, who took cues from Aztec and Mayan temples. Rivera took inspiration from indigenous artists and opened up his collection so that other artists could do the same; in this way, Museo Anahuacalli encourages an open dialogue between Mexico’s history and modern day. An otherworldly botanical garden filled with endemic flora and fauna wraps around the volcanic–rock building, many of which can’t be found elsewhere. Most people will flock to La Casa Azul or Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, but Museo Anahuacalli offers a more intimate, alternative route into the hearts and minds of two of the most prominent artists of the 20th century.

To continue your artistic exploration of Mexico, make the 4 hour drive to Casa de Sierra Nevada, your gateaway to the artistic heart of San Miguel de Allende.

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