History
Founded in 1975 by San Francisco artist Peter Rodríguez, the museum is the realization of Mr. Rodriguez’s vision that an institution be created in The United States to exhibit the aesthetic expression of the Mexican and Mexican American people. The museum has since expanded this vision to reflect the evolving scope of the Mexican, Chicano and Latino experience. Through this cultural lens, new perspectives on American and international cultures are generated which create important links to public life and experience. The museum holds a permanent collection of over 14,000 objects including: Pre-Hispanic, Colonial, Popular, Mexican and Latino Modern, and Mexican, Latino, and Chicano Contemporary art.
The soul and spirit of the arts and cultures of Mexico and the Americas are fundamentally linked.
The Mexican Museum is a first voice institution that utilizes Latino cultural expression as a lens for examining parallel experiences shared by the many cultural communities that constitute the Americas. Our philosophy grows from the understanding that a community involves many influences, histories and experiences. As the world strives for greater understanding and appreciation between cultures, art continues to be one of history’s most enduring languages, providing an important vehicle for re-interpreting the past, expounding on the present, and alluding to the future.
The Museum was originally located in San Francisco's Mission District. In 2001, the Museum was relocated to its current location at Fort Mason Center, Building D, Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, San Francisco. The museum is due to break ground in early 2013 on their new building which will be located on Mission and 3rd Streets.
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