Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo

Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo

About us

We opened our doors as a public, university-based museum of contemporary art on November 26, 2008. Since then, we have formed an active part of the Centro Cultural at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). We are a center for the construction of knowledge and encounters, somewhere conversations about society, academia and art history take place.

Our collection preserves and studies pieces produced by Mexico-based artists starting in 1952—the year that Ciudad Universitaria was inaugurated. We are pioneers in the conservation of memory by revitalizing art collecting in our country. We currently hold 2126 pieces by over 300 artists, 52 documentary holdings and 3 documentary collections.

We have become a reference point for domestic and international visual culture by offering an ambitious artistic program. The rejuvenated, dynamic image we project crystallizes our vitality in accordance with the cutting edge of the art world.

Our galleries have hosted around 200 exhibitions featuring artists that include Helen Escobedo, Francis Alÿs, Cecilia Vicuña, Anish Kapoor, Tania Candiani, Vicente Rojo, Mariana Castillo Deball, Yves Klein, Zaha Hadid, Ai Weiwei, Melanie Smith and Jan Hendrix, among many others. Since our inauguration, we have welcomed over six million visitors.

Over time, we have closely collaborated with the Tate Modern, the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Fundación Proa, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS) and the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH), among others. This situates us within the circuit of the best art institutions and museums at the global level.

Our mission

As a university museum, we are devoted to collecting, preserving, researching, exhibiting and promoting contemporary art. We are a space that produces sensory, affective and intellectual experiences, offering different publics a diverse array of possibilities for exploring their own individuality.

Our museum project is based on five strategic lines: Academic, which produces and circulates critical knowledge; Curatorial, for creating platforms and aesthetic experiences; Pedagogic, which facilitates meaningful learning experiences and disseminates knowledge; Communicational, through which we aim to build involved communities; and Sustainability, which allows us to establish socially responsible alliances.