The Museo de Arte Moderno, or Museum of Modern Art, is part of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (The Institute of fine arts and literature) and organises exhibitions of national and international contemporary artists. It houses one of the largest collections of 20th-century Mexican art.
The museum was founded in 1964 to promote contemporary Mexican fine art and to serve as a place for art discussions. The museum also houses a bookshop.
The museum’s impressive consists of about 3,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings and prints by such prominent figures as Gelsen Gas, Frida Kahlo, Olga Costa, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Leonora Carrington, Rufino Tamayo, Juan Soriano, and Vicente Rojo.
The architectural design of the museum comprises both modernity and tradition, which is evident in the choice of building materials. The detailed design of the gardens highlights the growing interest of modernity for landscape architecture. The building was designed by architect Pedro Vázquez, who worked in collaboration with Rafael Mijares.