Franz Mayer Museum

Appreciate the art in everyday objects through the eyes of a part-time collector for 50 years. Some of these treasures are astonishingly beautiful.

Visit Museo Franz Mayer to see centuries of decorative and design arts. Many of these items are everyday objects that demonstrate beauty and usefulness. Wander through the museum to see some of the 35,000 items grouped in several collections.

Franz Mayer, a German-Mexican financier during the 20th century, collected ornamental arts from the 16th to the 19th centuries over a 50-year time span. See his donations of these items along with enamals, featherwork, glasswork, ironwork, ivory, leatherwork and prints. The series of items conveys information about changes in taste, fashion, artisan methods and manufacturing processes over the centuries. Some objects are shown in the context of everyday use.

In the museum, paintings from Mexico and Europe dating back to the 14th century hang interspersed. Inspect the estofado sculptures which consist of polychrome-painted gilded wooden objects that are etched to reveal the gold below. Over 700 pieces of furniture demonstrate design artistry from Chinese, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Indian, Indo-Portuguese, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish origin.

Inspect the textiles collection which Mayer started with Mexican shawls and expanded to include blankets and tapestries from Flanders, Manila and Persia along with religious clothing. The ceramics collection includes a large number of tiles and mayólica earthenware pottery. See a highlight of the museum, the silver pieces showing handwork of chiseling, graffito, repoussé, filigree and encrusted precious gems and metals.

The gallery’s Ruth Lechuga collection contains 10,000 pieces of colorful folk art, including masks, miniatures, paints, pottery, textiles and toys. For a contrast to Mayer’s collection of everyday items, see the Wofgang Paalen exhibit of surrealist and American primitive art, including his method of fumage, which creates drawings using candle smoke. 

The Museo Franz Mayer is very convenient to the historical center of Mexico City on the northern side of Alameda Central. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and has free admission for seniors and children 12 and under. Stop at the bookshop and visit the café for a light lunch while viewing the cloister of the building. Enjoy a Sunday recital in the tree-filled Alameda Central after your museum visit.