Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey

Pound for pound, kicks the sheeshus out of MoMA in NYC. Much more curated and terribly, beautifully relevant. Contemporary art can end up feeling like a spoiled rich kid's tea party, weightless and navel grazing, but this place avoids those pitfalls entirely. Some exhibits here are genuinely confrontational and weighty. There's a keen edge to the curation. My phone was low on battery so I don't have pictures, but there was an exhibit of embroidery made partially with the blood stained clothing of murdered women that was very powerful, and an urban soundscape paired with planes of glass taken from real places before being replaced. Very socially aware and tremendously Latin. That said, some exhibits are not without whimsy, even when the art is still socially conscious--witness this magnificent horned fellow, for example. The exhibit of knots was beautifully and delightfully eerie. The combination of violence and beauty was incredibly well balanced. I go to contemporary art museums whenever possible, but my partner is far more into directly representational art--but even he loved this museum.

We really enjoyed our visit to the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey. The exhibitions were very interesting and well-curated, and it was a wonderful cultural experience overall. One suggestion I’d make is to add more seating areas throughout the galleries, especially for visitors with low mobility or elderly guests. We had some difficulty finding a place for our elderly family member to sit and rest while we continued exploring. More benches or resting spots would definitely improve accessibility and comfort for everyone. It’s worth noting that on Wednesdays, the museum offers free admission in the early evening, and they often have live music performances which make the visit even more enjoyable. You do need to line up to get an entrance ticket, so I recommend arriving early as the line can get quite long. Overall, a great place to experience contemporary art in Monterrey. We would definitely visit again!

Its a beautiful museum with 3 exhibitions. The spaces are beautiful and the art is interesting too. You walk through pretty fast but that doesn’t have to be bad. It was interesting to visit and cool to see more Mexican art. We went on a Sunday and it was free. Would recommend visiting for sure (also the temperature is very nice inside 😉)

It's a beautiful museum with wonderful art. If you have bags 🎒 they have lockers for you to put them in that lock 🔐 just take the key with you as you enjoy the museum.

Very large. Quiet and peaceful. Very clean. We came on a day when there were no cover charge for museums.

The exhibits here were mostly interesting. Some were a bit too ‘why?’ but it’s modern art so no surprise there. I really enjoyed visiting and they have some cool interactive exhibits now. These are some of the pieces I particularly liked, though there are many many more.

Beautiful building! Sadly the whole museum wasn’t open. There were too many restricted areas. Not enough art was seen. I loved the Marcela y Gina exhibit along with the Helen Escobedo exhibit.

Beautiful facility. Interesting installations. Great spot to stop for a rest from the heat. Staff is kind and personable. Price $4-5 US dollars. If you are touring the plaza it's worth the stop.

This museum is located at the heart of the city. We came to this museum on a day when they had no charge. It is clean and quiet and peaceful. We walked around for about an hour viewing all the art work and then went about our day.

MARCO doesn't appear to have or show any permanent collections, but it is a beautiful museum building with a captivating layout-design that houses excellent exhibits. Most of the ones I've seen here have been from Mexican artists, but not all of them. Many of the exhibits that come through here go on display at other museums in Mexico, as well, like a tour. Sometimes the museum is calm and relaxing; other times the staff seem overly vigilant and assertively make sure you follow the "right path" to view the art. The museum store carries some excellent books on exhibits that have been hosted at MARCO. It also carries some regional, artisan clothing and gift items.

This was a really cool museum that displayed a variety of artwork. There were two galleries on display (usually there are three). One showed works from Damián Ortega, a Mexican visual artist known for his contemporary sculpture, installation art (3D art transforming the perception of space), and mixed-media art. The artwork included sculptures, masks, stitched rugs, abstract pieces, 3-dimensional perception altering art, and even an exploded car where the main components were taken apart. The second gallery had more traditional paintings and sculptures. Tickets are free every Sunday and Wednesday. I highly recommend this museum as a fun activity with friends or family. The exhibitions change every 3 to 6 months, so be sure to check out each one!

Enjoyed my recent visit to the museum. Unlike most museums in Mexico there were English translations for many, but not all, of the exhibits. I felt like more of the space could have been used for art than just common areas. Neighborhood is very walkable with many fine bars and restaurants to choose from.

Portraits of his art in a modern futuristic Van Gogh exhibit was presented while in Monterrey, could not resist to come and visit. His peculiar, color vibrate yet simple way to portrait his most favorite places got me curious to find out all about Vincent Van Gogh. Not your typical exhibit so be prepare to be surprised. Attentive staff guide you and give you space to wonder. Exhibit offers rooms with different perspectives of his art work. Expect the walking through his paintings then merge into a relaxing trailer projection like room and take your time admiring all of art work. Then at the end the VIP option a augmented reality sort of the virtual reality walk through why and when his best art pieces came to be. A room with the goggles AR equipment and separated seats will immerse you into his past life. I personally got a little light headed with the goggles but staff was prompt to assist me.

I don't usually like contemporary art but I was really surprised and amazed in MARCO. The Latino artists featured were awesome! My favorite was Remedios Varo who made mathematical magical realism fairy tale paintings. I also liked Leonora Carrington who made paintings of crazy creatures! This museum is not to be missed when visiting Monterrey. You can also get a good view of the Cerro de la Silla from the garden. The museum is located on the southeast corner of the Macroplaza in downtown Monterrey.

We sadly didn't have time to visit this museum during our VERY short stay in Monterrey, but I've been here before, and we DID walk all around the vicinity (Macroplaza, "downtown" Mty.) and if you happen to be in this area, it's REALLY worth a visit. Not too many people think of Monterrey as a tourist destination; most probably come here for business, but there ARE some great sites to see, including this wonderful, eclectic museum. Take at least a few hours to see some really creative, unique exhibits here. It's riight across the street from some major hotels and a pedestrian shopping area, and next door to Monterrey's small-ish but picturesque Cathedral. Worth a visit (we'll catch it NEXT time!!)

I enjoyed the magnificent pieces of art exhibited here. The day we went admission was free, which made our day. There were so many interesting exhibits to converse about.

A MUST-DO for those in Monterrey. Note that the museum has no permanent exhibitions. On Wednesdays the museum is free (and busier), but definitely still enjoyable. Two of the three exhibits we saw (all not permanent) were great! A South Korean artist using black light and wire installations was interactive and exciting. The DreamWorks Animation exhibit was a tour de force for nostalgia. We expected to be there 1 hour but were there for 2+ hours.

Beautiful building, but pretty empty of exhibits when I was there. Monterrey is a pretty dismal place, and not a place you should put on your travel list, but if you have to be there, check out the this museum.