Remedios Varo in Mexico City: A Guide to the Museum of Modern Art

If you’re looking for things to do in Mexico City and enjoy art, culture, and experiences that allow you to see a destination from a different perspective, visiting the Museo de Arte Moderno (Museum of Modern Art) in Chapultepec is a great option.

During my latest visit to Mexico City, I went to see Remedios Varo: Habitantes de lo insólito, and I have to say that I left much more impressed than I expected. The exhibition gives you the opportunity to discover Varo’s paintings as well as sketches, notebooks, photographs, and other materials that help explain the fascinating world she created.

And the best part is that your visit doesn’t end with Remedios Varo. The MAM houses an important collection of 20th-century Mexican art, so you can easily spend several hours exploring the museum.

Who was Remedios Varo?

Remedios Varo was born in Spain in 1908 and arrived in Mexico in 1941 after fleeing Europe during World War II. Although she was born in Spain, Mexico became the place where she developed most of her artistic career and where she lived until her death in 1963.

She became one of the most important figures associated with surrealism, developing a highly personal visual language that combined science, alchemy, mysticism, nature, dreams, and the search for knowledge.

One of the things I find particularly interesting about her work is that her paintings don’t always feel like scenes you are simply looking at. Many of them seem to tell small stories. There are characters, animals, mysterious buildings, laboratories, journeys, and situations that make you stop and try to figure out what exactly is happening.

Animals also played an important role in Varo’s imagination. She had a particular affinity for cats and incorporated birds and other animals into several of her works.

Remedios Varo: Habitantes de lo insólito

The Remedios Varo: Habitantes de lo insólito exhibition brings together around 90 pieces from the Remedios Varo Artistic Collection held by the Museo de Arte Moderno, including paintings, drawings, photographs, books, and work notebooks.

One of the things I enjoyed most was being able to see not only the finished paintings but also materials connected to her creative process.

The exhibition explores characters and environments that seem to exist somewhere between scientific investigation and the fantastic and spiritual worlds. Alchemy, transformation, knowledge, and the artist’s inner world are recurring themes.

Some of the works contain so many small details that you could easily spend several minutes looking at a single painting. In my opinion, this is an exhibition that is much better enjoyed without rushing.

My experience visiting the exhibition

I’m not an art expert, and that’s actually one of the reasons I enjoy visiting exhibitions like this. You don’t need to know everything about surrealism to appreciate what you’re seeing.

For me, this exhibition was a really pleasant surprise. There is something about Remedios Varo’s paintings that makes you want to get closer and look at every detail.

I especially enjoyed seeing how she combines subjects that might seem completely unrelated: science, magic, nature, spirituality, and female characters who often appear to be on some kind of journey or transformation.

The exhibition also gave me a better understanding of why Remedios Varo is such an important figure in Mexican art, even though she was originally from Spain.

If you’re looking for things to do in Mexico City, especially if you’ve already visited the main tourist attractions and want to add something different to your itinerary, I would definitely consider the MAM.

Don’t leave without exploring the rest of the Museum of Modern Art

One of the best things about visiting the Museo de Arte Moderno is that you can take advantage of your visit to explore other galleries and exhibitions throughout the museum.

During my visit, I also explored La colección. Redes y trayectorias del arte mexicano en la Colección del MAM, 1910-1950, which features works by some of the most important names in Mexican art, including Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Remedios Varo, Rufino Tamayo, Olga Costa, Lola Álvarez Bravo, and Juan O’Gorman.

And this is where I had one of my biggest surprises of the visit: The Two Fridas.

I had seen this painting countless times in photographs, books, and reproductions, but I had never seen it in person.

Seeing it in front of me was completely different. It is a huge painting, full of details and with a presence that you simply don’t get from seeing it on a screen.

Personally, it became one of my favorite moments of the entire visit, and it exceeded my expectations by far.

The exhibition The Two Fridas: Creation of a Global Identity is scheduled to run at the MAM until October 25, 2026, so if you’re reading this before that date, you may still have a chance to see it.

How much does the Museum of Modern Art cost?

General admission to the Museo de Arte Moderno is $95 MXN.

Admission is free on Sundays for the general public. There is also free admission for students, teachers with valid identification, INAPAM cardholders, and people with disabilities.

The Remedios Varo exhibition is currently scheduled to run from March 19, 2026, through January 31, 2027.

The museum is located at:

Museo de Arte Moderno
Paseo de la Reforma and Gandhi s/n
Bosque de Chapultepec, I Sección
Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City

The current exhibition hours are Tuesday through Sunday, approximately 10:15 AM to 5:45 PM. Since museum schedules can change, I recommend checking the official museum information before visiting.

How much time do you need at the MAM?

I would set aside between 2 and 3 hours if you want to see the Remedios Varo exhibition without rushing and explore some of the other galleries.

If you’re particularly interested in Mexican art or like taking your time reading about the works, you could easily spend longer.

The museum is also located inside Chapultepec Park, so you can combine your visit with other activities in the area and make a full day out of exploring this part of Mexico City.

A museum worth adding to your Mexico City itinerary

If you’re planning a trip to Mexico City from the United States, Canada, Europe, or another part of Mexico, the Museo de Arte Moderno is one of those places that can easily fit into a weekend itinerary.

And if you’re someone who prefers experiencing a city through its museums, restaurants, neighborhoods, and cultural experiences rather than only visiting the most famous tourist attractions, this is a great option.

For me, the combination of Remedios Varo, 20th-century Mexican art, and the chance to see The Two Fridas in person made the visit completely worthwhile.

If you’ve never seen a Remedios Varo painting in person, this exhibition is a great opportunity to step into her world and understand why she remains one of the most fascinating artists connected to surrealism in Mexico.

 

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