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| Museo Archivo de la Fotografía | |
|---|---|
| Name | Museo Archivo de la Fotografía |
| Native name | Museo Archivo de la Fotografía |
| Established | 1989 |
| Location | Centro Histórico, Mexico City |
| Type | Photography museum and archive |
Museo Archivo de la Fotografía is a photography museum and archival repository located in the historic core of Mexico City, housed within a colonial-era structure adjacent to notable landmarks. It collects, preserves, exhibits, and makes accessible photographic materials related to the visual history of Mexico City, Mexico, and broader Mexican cultural and social life, engaging with institutions such as the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Secretaría de Cultura (Mexico), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City), and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura. The museum participates in national and international networks like the International Council on Archives, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Europeana, Getty Research Institute, and the Museo de Arte Moderno (Mexico City).
The institution originated from archival initiatives during the late 20th century that involved collaborations among Archivo General de la Nación (México), Biblioteca Nacional de México, Colegio de México, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, and municipal cultural programs inspired by preservation efforts in cities such as Paris, London, Madrid, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo. Early collections were contributed by private photographers and studios connected to figures like José Guadalupe Posada, Hermenegildo Bustos, Ángel Navarro, Eduardo T. Berlin, Germán Gedovius, Joaquín Clausell, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Tina Modotti, and archives associated with institutions such as Casa de la Cultura Jurídica Federal, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Zócalo (Mexico City). Over successive administrations linked to Miguel de la Madrid, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderón, and Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the museum expanded its mandate to include digitization projects coordinated with CONACULTA, Secretaría de Cultura (Mexico), and international grant-makers like the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Getty Foundation.
The holdings include photographic negatives, glass plate positives, albumen prints, cartes de visite, photomechanical prints, contact sheets, lantern slides, and digital surrogates from studios and photographers such as Hernán Zetter, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Tina Modotti, Guillermo Kahlo, Héctor García (photographer), Pedro Meyer, Enrique Metinides, Rogelio Naranjo, Rodolfo Castañeda, and collections tied to institutions like Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Archivo General de la Nación (México), Museo Nacional de Arte (Mexico City), Colegio de México, and the Archivo Fotográfico Manuel Toussaint. Thematic series document events and locales including the Mexican Revolution, Porfiriato, 1910 Mexican Revolution Centennial, Zapatista Army of National Liberation, 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre, Independence Day (Mexico), Day of the Dead, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chapultepec Castle, and urban transformations of Paseo de la Reforma, Plaza de la Constitución (Zócalo), and the Historic center of Mexico City. Holdings feature portraits, architectural photography, press photography, ethnographic imagery, and vernacular photography from studios like Casa Jacobo, Aguilar y Cía, El Estudio de Guillermo Kahlo, and private estates related to families such as the Hapsburgs and personalities like Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Mariano Azuela, Octavio Paz, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz through photographic representations.
The museum curates temporary and thematic exhibitions drawing on collections and loans from entities such as the Museo Tamayo, Museo Franz Mayer, Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada, Colegio de San Ildefonso, Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, and contemporary projects featuring photographers like Graciela Iturbide, Cristina Kahlo, Paz Errázuriz, Nicolás Tovar, Gerardo Montiel Klint, Yolanda Andrade (photographer), and Mónica Mayer. Public programs include panel discussions and workshops in partnership with the Universidad Iberoamericana, El Colegio de México, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Centro Nacional de las Artes, and international venues such as International Photographic Council events and biennials like the Bienal de Fotografía (Valencia). Educational series connect with festivals and commemorations including Festival de México, Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, Festival Internacional Cervantino, and municipal celebrations of Día de los Muertos.
The museum occupies a colonial-era building in the Historic center of Mexico City near landmarks like the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City, National Palace (Mexico), and the Museo del Templo Mayor. The structure exhibits architectural elements related to Spanish colonial architecture, Baroque ornamentation, and later modifications reflecting periods associated with Viceroyalty of New Spain, Porfiriato, Neoclassical architecture in Mexico, and urban reforms by planners linked to Porfirio Díaz, Alfonso Caso, and 20th-century conservationists associated with INAH. Restoration efforts have involved conservation offices from institutions such as the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura and teams influenced by practices used at Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City) and historic site projects in Guanajuato, Oaxaca, and San Miguel de Allende.
Preservation strategies align with standards promulgated by bodies like the International Council on Archives, International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Comité International de Photothèque, and national guidelines from Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Practices include cold storage for cellulose nitrate and acetate negatives, rehousing of albumen prints and daguerreotypes, environmental monitoring comparable to protocols used at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Library of Congress, and the Museo del Prado, and digitization workflows informed by collaborations with the Getty Research Institute, Europeana, and university digitization centers at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Outreach programs partner with academic and cultural institutions such as the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad Iberoamericana, El Colegio de México, Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco, Fondo de Cultura Económica, and community organizations active in neighborhoods like Colonia Centro, Roma, Mexico City, Condesa, and Coyoacán. Initiatives include school visits tied to curricula from the Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico), public lectures with scholars affiliated to Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City), artist residencies linked to the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte, and collaborative exhibitions with international partners such as the Museum of Modern Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
Administrative oversight involves municipal and federal cultural bodies including the Secretaría de Cultura (Mexico), municipal cultural agencies of Mexico City, and advisory relationships with universities like the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and foundations such as the Fundación Televisa, Fundación Jumex, Fundación BBVA México, the Ford Foundation, and the Getty Foundation. Funding streams combine public allocations, private sponsorships, project grants from organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts, and revenue-generating activities coordinated with cultural networks including the Red de Museos de la Ciudad de México and international partners such as the British Council.
Category:Museums in Mexico City