Description of the attraction
The Palais des Beaux-Arts is an opera house located in the center of the Mexican capital. This is the largest building in the world, built with one of the most valuable types of marble - Carrara. The palace, which is distinguished by its amazing splendor of decor, made in the styles of Bose-Art and Art-Deco, is considered the most popular architectural landmark in Mexico City.
The theater building was designed in 1904 by the Italian Adam Boari. Construction lasted for 30 years and was interrupted by the Mexican Revolution, although the opening of the Palace was planned for 1908. The inside of the walls is decorated with frescoes by Mexican artists Diego Rivera, Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco. The most famous fresco is considered to be Rivera's philosophical painting "Man at a Crossroads".
The building is supported by a steel frame. Elements of the pre-Columbian era, neoclassical style and Art Nouveau were used to decorate the entire building.
The domes of the theater are decorated with Italian marble, the largest of them has a Mexican eagle, and around it there are figures symbolizing the art of drama. The interior decoration was mainly done by the artist Federico Mariscal. His work is done in the Art Deco style.
The frescoes "The Birth of Our Nation" and "Modern Mexico" are located on the second floor of the Palace. They belong to the brush of Rufino Tamayo, he painted them in 1952-1953. The walls of the third floor are decorated with frescoes by Jose Clemente Orozco. In one of his most famous paintings, he depicted Catharsis, exposing the war and the decline of the bourgeoisie. Here is also the famous and scandalous fresco by Rivera "Man - Ruler of the Universe", which was opposed by John Rockefeller, who ordered to remove a similar one in his Center for ideological reasons. The rest of the frescoes are protected by the Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts, which periodically hosts thematic exhibitions. The museum is located on the top floor of the Palace.
