Essential works of modern art from Mexico meet the public

After almost two decades without being exhibited in Mexico, a set of 68 fundamental works of national modern art will once again be shown to the public in Modern stories: Emblematic works from the Gelman Santander Collection, at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM).

Pieces by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo and María Izquierdo, collected by Jacques and Natasha Gelman since the 1940s, will thus begin a new stage of international itineration under the name Gelman Santander Collection. “It is very significant and symbolic that this new stage begins in the country of origin of the artists that make it up and where the collection was created,” said Claudia Curiel de Icaza, federal Secretary of Culture.

The curatorship, led by the MAM, proposes a journey through several aspects: the construction of a national iconography, the tensions between tradition and modernity, to the power of plastic and visual experimentation. In addition, it is organized into four cores: Portraits: Constructed Presences, Nature: Between Order and Chaos, The Creation of a Nation and The Modern: Paradoxes of a New Reality.

The objective of the exhibition, Curiel said, is for the pieces to “meet with the public and for new generations to access essential works of modern Mexican art 20 years after their most recent exhibition.”

Among the pieces on display are the portraits commissioned by Jacques and Natasha Gelman of Frida Kahlo, Rufino Tamayo, Ángel Zárraga and David Alfaro Siqueiros, as well as crucial works from the artists’ careers, among which the oil painting stands out rump seller (1943), by Diego Rivera, a synthesis between avant-garde and tradition.

A self-portrait of José Clemente Orozco made in watercolor stands out, where the energetic character that distinguishes the Jalisco artist is perceived, as well as Mexico Room (1940), a work made with the technique of gouache which is part of a key stage in the painter’s production.

Frida Kahlo occupies a fundamental place, with 10 oil paintings, among which stand out Self-portrait with necklace (1933) y Diego in my thoughts (1943), notable examples of the set of self-portraits that collectors came to collect of the artist. In addition, pieces by Gunther Gerzso, Carlos Mérida, Jesús Reyes Ferreira and Lola Álvarez Bravo, among others, will be presented.

Regarding the exhibition, Alejandra de la Paz, general director of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (Inbal), pointed out that it reflects the conviction of the body in charge of strengthening the dissemination of artistic heritage, bringing the public closer to art, through the network of museums.

Marisol Argüelles, director of the MAM and curator of the exhibition, considered it a privilege to be close and propose a look that shows the plural nature of creation. “The challenge of curating it allows us to look more deeply into its history and make visible the power of such a unique heritage,” he noted.

Of the 68 pieces that make up it, 27 have been declared artistic monuments, which implied that the cultural institutions made official registrations with the National Center for Conservation and Registration of Movable Artistic Heritage, in order to guarantee their control, conservation and protection during the exhibition.

In this regard, Curiel de Icaza emphasized that the exhibition is the result of months of management with the Gelman Santander Collection, through Inbal, and thanked the coordinated work for the dissemination of Mexican art.

Modern stories: Emblematic works from the Gelman Santander Collection It will be presented from February 17 to May 17, 2026, at the MAM (Paseo de la Reforma avenue s/n, Bosque de Chapultepec).