New Museum of Contemporary Art opened on Nov. 27 in Mexico City. MUAC (Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo - so it sounds its full name) has enjoyed popularity among residents and guests of the Mexican capital: from the opening was attended by more than 30 thousand people.

MUAC is part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and is located in the campus on the southern outskirts of the city. This university already has a cultural center, several museums and the National Library. The building of the Complex, the construction of which began in 2004, it spent 270 million pesos (20 million dollars), was designed by a leading Mexican architect Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon (Teodoro González de León). MUAC chief curator Guillermo Santamarina (Guillermo Santamarina) expects the new museum space - 3300 square meters - will not only place in the largest public collection of modern art and a variety of installations, but also to conduct a large-scale international exhibitions.

Collection of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, started back in 1950. However, to grow and develop it began only in 2004 thanks to Olivier Debruazu (Olivier Debroise). This French writer, critic and curator moved to Mexico in 1970 and became one of the most influential figures in Mexican art community. He has made a significant contribution to the formation of the collection. Before his sudden death from a heart attack in May this year he managed to buy 290 new works and to agree on for 5 years, more than 126 works from private collections. Among them are works of such internationally recognized artists as Thomas Hirshhorn (Thomas Hirschhorn), Tom Friedman (Tom Friedman), Olafur Eliasson (Olafur Eliasson) and Pipilotti Rist (Pipilotti Rist). With the opening of Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo, they have become available to the general public.

Director of MUAC was appointed Graciela da La Torre (Graciela de La Torre), formerly headed the Mexican National Art Museum (Museo Nacional de Arte). She collected 90 million pesos (6.7 million dollars) needed to finance the first exhibitions in the new museum. Among the subjects represented in the exhibition are installations of museums MoMA in New York and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The curator Guillermo Santamarina announced that in future it is planned to hold international exhibitions and is now on the negotiations with the Center Pompidou in Paris and other foreign museums.

Installations from the collection of UNAM, is exhibited in the halls of Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo, will rotate. The annual budget of the new museum has not yet been approved.

material produced Catherine Onuchin

Sources: theartnewspaper.com , artdaily.com , artinvestment.ru