A stunning Art Nouveau masterpiece, originally designed by Adamo Boari and envisioned for the centenary celebrations of Mexico’s independence in 1910, the Palace of Fine Arts was completed by architects Alberto J. Pani and Federico Mariscal, who decorated its interiors with Art Deco motifs. Its inauguration was celebrated in 1934. (...)
A stunning Art Nouveau masterpiece, originally designed by Adamo Boari and envisioned for the centenary celebrations of Mexico’s independence in 1910, the Palace of Fine Arts was completed by architects Alberto J. Pani and Federico Mariscal, who decorated its interiors with Art Deco motifs. Its inauguration was celebrated in 1934. Occupied by the National Institute of Fine Arts since 1947, the Palace of Fine Arts has been the center of notable events in opera, dance, music, art, and literature. Materials that were experimental at the time of its construction, such as the Marotti crystal roof, created gallery spaces illuminated naturally from skylights.
Decades of deferred maintenance and failure at the junction points between various systems such as the glass block, concrete, tile dome, and copper flashing along the ribs of the dome, resulted in severe deterioration of the structure. These same structural problems led to water penetrating the building through the skylights, seriously endangering the palace’s spectacular murals.
