Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros
Encyclopedia
The Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros is a cultural, political and social facility located in Mexico City
as part of the World Trade Center Mexico City. It was designed and decorated by David Alfaro Siqueiros
in the 1960s and hosts the largest mural work in the world called “La Marcha de la Humanidad.” The building has a theatre, galleries and more, but the main focus is the Foro Universal, which contains the interior portion of Siqueiros mural work. Visitors may see the seven panels while on a stage that rotates while hearing the voice of the artist narrate.
of Mexico City. This complex was designed by architects Joaquín Alvarez, Guillermo Rossel de la Lama and Ramón Mikelajáuregui, and built just outside of Parque de la Lama, but the Polyforum was designed and decorated by Siqueiros, who nicknamed it “El coronelazo.” The exterior is in the form of a diamond and the inside has eight sides. The building with its murals is considered to be an “artistic heritage site” for Mexico, registered by the Centro Nacional de Conservación, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura
and Registro del Patrimonio Artístico Mueble. The Polyforum is a multiple event facility dedicated to cultural, political and social events. Its main aspects include a 500-seat theatre, two galleries, offices and the Foro Universal or Universal Forum.
The building also contains a theatre, two joined galleries and other facilities. The Teatro Manuel Suárez is one of few circular Greek style theatres in the world. This theatre has 500 seats and has hosted a number of works acted by famous actors. This has included works such as “Diary of a Madman” by Nikolai Gogol
, performed by actor Carlos Ancira . The two galleries named after Dr. Atl
and Mario Orozco Rivera. The first serves at the site museum with a space of 145m2. Its permanent exhibit consists of photographs and models and sketches related to the painting of the site’s mural. It also contains biographical information in the form of documents and photographs of Manuel Suárez y Suárez, the sponsor of the Polyforum along with that of Siqueiros. The gallery contains a statue of Manuel Suárez y Suárez and personal effects of Siqueiros. The second dedicated to Orozco Rivera measures 169m2 and is dedicated to temporary exhibits of painting, sculpture and photography. One temporary exhibit held in 2011 was called “My Trend Week” designed to display the works of new artistic talent in architecture as well as graphic, industrial and interior design. In 2011, the two galleries were linked and renovated with a modern system of lighting and ultraviolet film on its glass and other elements designed to protect the works shown there. The works are set against white, curved walls with a total exhibition space of just over 300m2. The combined space has been tentatively renamed “Espacio de Arte Emergente” (Emerging Art Space) .
from 1960 to 1964. It also includes 7,000 postcards from Germany alone, and 10,000 photographs of family and 80,000 texts written about the artist.
. Siquieros was incarcerated at the time and the work commenced after he left prison in 1964. The work evolved into a chapel with the interior completely covered in mural work. However, it was decided to change the location of the work to a new site in 1966 as part of what was then called the Hotel de México, today the World Trade Center. Over its first forty years, the building suffered significant deterioration to its structure and its murals. The deterioration of the mural work is due to environmental factors and the materials Siquieros used to create the piece.(restaurant) In 2011, remodeling work was begun on the facility to mark its fortieth anniversary. Some restoration work had been performed in 2011, but lack of funds has prevented completion.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
as part of the World Trade Center Mexico City. It was designed and decorated by David Alfaro Siqueiros
David Alfaro Siqueiros
José David Alfaro Siqueiros was a social realist painter, known for his large murals in fresco that helped establish the Mexican Mural Renaissance, together with works by Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, and also a member of the Mexican Communist Party who participated in an...
in the 1960s and hosts the largest mural work in the world called “La Marcha de la Humanidad.” The building has a theatre, galleries and more, but the main focus is the Foro Universal, which contains the interior portion of Siqueiros mural work. Visitors may see the seven panels while on a stage that rotates while hearing the voice of the artist narrate.
Site
The Polyforum is a decagon shaped construction with different exhibition spaces that feature David Alfaro Siqueiros’ work. The building is part of a business complex called the World Trade Center Mexico City in the Benito Juárez boroughBenito Juárez, D.F.
Benito Juárez is one of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. It is a largely residential area, located to the south of historic center of Mexico City, although there are pressures for areas to convert to commercial use. It was named after Benito Juárez, president in...
of Mexico City. This complex was designed by architects Joaquín Alvarez, Guillermo Rossel de la Lama and Ramón Mikelajáuregui, and built just outside of Parque de la Lama, but the Polyforum was designed and decorated by Siqueiros, who nicknamed it “El coronelazo.” The exterior is in the form of a diamond and the inside has eight sides. The building with its murals is considered to be an “artistic heritage site” for Mexico, registered by the Centro Nacional de Conservación, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura
The Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura , located in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, is the national Mexican institute of fine arts and literature, founded on December 31, 1946...
and Registro del Patrimonio Artístico Mueble. The Polyforum is a multiple event facility dedicated to cultural, political and social events. Its main aspects include a 500-seat theatre, two galleries, offices and the Foro Universal or Universal Forum.
Foro Universal and Siqueiros mural
The main feature of the complex is the Foro Universal, which contains Siquiero´s mural called “La Marcha de la Humanidad” (The March of Humanity). The panels on the Foro plus the exterior work measure 8,700m2, the largest mural in the world. The Foro takes up most of the interior space, covered by a vault which measures 900m2 and with 2,400m2 of its walls and ceiling covered by Siquieros’ work. There are seven main panels to the work. Panel 1 is dedicated to man representing the creation, domination and use of science. Panel 2 has three main elements: a volcano, a nahual and a tree. Panel 3 consists of an amate tree, a “leader” and a recently sprouted tree. Panel 4 is called “The Woman” and represents peace, culture and harmony in a future society. Panel 5 contains seven compositions which are named “Primitive man,” “The proletariat woman pregnant,” “The Crow Man,” “The march of the mothers,” “The mix of races,” “The lynched black” and “The Pimas and the Yaquis.” Panel 6 has three main elements of “The demagogue,” “Men, women and children” and “The leader.” Panel 7 is painted on the ceiling and consists of four main elements called “The eagle,” “The red star,” “The astronauts” and “The white star.” Visitors to see the mural can also experience a sound and light show about the work, with narration in the voice of Siqueiros. For this show, the stage can hold up to 1000 people and rotates towards the different sections of the mural.The building also contains a theatre, two joined galleries and other facilities. The Teatro Manuel Suárez is one of few circular Greek style theatres in the world. This theatre has 500 seats and has hosted a number of works acted by famous actors. This has included works such as “Diary of a Madman” by Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian dramatist and novelist.Considered by his contemporaries one of the preeminent figures of the natural school of Russian literary realism, later critics have found in Gogol's work a fundamentally romantic sensibility, with strains of Surrealism...
, performed by actor Carlos Ancira . The two galleries named after Dr. Atl
Dr. Atl
Gerardo Murillo was a Mexican painter and writer who signed his works "Dr. Atl". He was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he began the study of painting at an early age, under Felipe Castro...
and Mario Orozco Rivera. The first serves at the site museum with a space of 145m2. Its permanent exhibit consists of photographs and models and sketches related to the painting of the site’s mural. It also contains biographical information in the form of documents and photographs of Manuel Suárez y Suárez, the sponsor of the Polyforum along with that of Siqueiros. The gallery contains a statue of Manuel Suárez y Suárez and personal effects of Siqueiros. The second dedicated to Orozco Rivera measures 169m2 and is dedicated to temporary exhibits of painting, sculpture and photography. One temporary exhibit held in 2011 was called “My Trend Week” designed to display the works of new artistic talent in architecture as well as graphic, industrial and interior design. In 2011, the two galleries were linked and renovated with a modern system of lighting and ultraviolet film on its glass and other elements designed to protect the works shown there. The works are set against white, curved walls with a total exhibition space of just over 300m2. The combined space has been tentatively renamed “Espacio de Arte Emergente” (Emerging Art Space) .
The foundation
The Polyform is a private institution which is supported through its activities and through private donations to the Siqueiros Foundation. Its main goal is the promotion of “new values” in the fine arts. The foundation preserves a collection of periodicals, audio, video and photography related to the artist, whose digitalization was begun in 2010. This collection consists of 102,908 documents and images with elements such as correspondence with contemporary intellectuals, writers and politicians, including that from the Siquieros was incarcerated in LecumberriPalacio de Lecumberri
The Palacio de Lecumberri is a large building, formerly a prison, in the northeast of Mexico City, Mexico, which now houses the General National Archive ....
from 1960 to 1964. It also includes 7,000 postcards from Germany alone, and 10,000 photographs of family and 80,000 texts written about the artist.
History
In 1960, Manuel Suárez y Suárez offered Siquieros work with the construction of the Hotel Casino de la Selva in CuernavacaCuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
. Siquieros was incarcerated at the time and the work commenced after he left prison in 1964. The work evolved into a chapel with the interior completely covered in mural work. However, it was decided to change the location of the work to a new site in 1966 as part of what was then called the Hotel de México, today the World Trade Center. Over its first forty years, the building suffered significant deterioration to its structure and its murals. The deterioration of the mural work is due to environmental factors and the materials Siquieros used to create the piece.(restaurant) In 2011, remodeling work was begun on the facility to mark its fortieth anniversary. Some restoration work had been performed in 2011, but lack of funds has prevented completion.