Visite audio de Mexico : Objets d'art et trésors bohèmes de Cuauhtémoc

You’re looking for a building on your right with tall silver-gray walls, vertical lines of leafy vines climbing up from the sidewalk, and a large, metal folding gate-almost hidden behind a green curtain of plants. Welcome to Galería OMR! If you ever wanted to see brutalist architecture try to dress up in nature’s best green jacket, you’re looking at it-concrete toughness softened by those lush, climbing plants. But besides being photogenic, this spot has been shaking up Mexico City’s art world since 1983. OMR was dreamed up by Patricia Ortiz Monasterio and Jaime Riestra at a time when contemporary art galleries were pretty rare in Mexico. Picture the 80s: big hair, bold fashion, and a city buzzing with change. The gallery started out in an old early-20th century house on Plaza Río de Janeiro. If those walls could talk, wow, would they tell stories-of wild installations, famous artists pacing the creaky floorboards, and maybe even a confused cat or two ducking behind sculptures. By 2009, OMR didn’t just stand still. It added a project space next door called el52-aptly named because, well, it’s on number 52. This was a new playground where young artists could go big, get weird, and make art that simply wouldn’t fit in a traditional gallery. Then came 2016, a year of rebirth. The gallery packed up its art and moved here, to this address on Córdoba. Imagine the tension-new building, new era, and new challenges as Patricia and Jaime’s son, Cristóbal Riestra, officially took the director’s chair. The architects kept the bold bones of the original brutalist structure: the heavy concrete roof balanced by just four chunky columns, a giant skylight spilling daylight onto the exhibits, and floors that played hopscotch with your feet-until they were leveled out for the new space. They built a patio, warehouse, garden bar, reception, and even snuck in a terrace and library up top. OMR became a kind of castle for contemporary art, but one where everyone is invited to see the magic. Inside, you’d find big names and rising stars-shows like Jorge Méndez Blake’s “View of Southwest Window,” Maruch Santíz Gómez’s “Creencias II,” and legendary works by James Turrell. They haven’t just stayed put either; OMR is a regular at mega fairs like Zona MACO and Art Basel in Basel, Miami, and Hong Kong. If art had a passport, OMR’s would have more stamps than most travel bloggers. So, as you stand in front of these mysterious walls, know you’re outside one of the world’s most influential art labs, a secret garden for creativity where young ideas have a very old home, and where every show is a new adventure. And hey, if you spot someone going in with wild hair and a slightly worried expression, it might just be the next big thing in art-or maybe just someone who forgot their umbrella. Ready to delve deeper into the location, architecture or the exhibitions (from 2011)? Join me in the chat section for an enriching discussion.

Alvaro Obregon Avenue is right in front of you-just look for the wide, tree-lined boulevard with a central walking path shaded by leafy branches and bordered by benches and old-fashioned lampposts. Welcome to Avenida Álvaro Obregón, the grand green heart of La Roma! As you stand here, stretch your imagination back in time-picture yourself at the dawn of the 20th century, when this avenue was as new and exciting as the latest taco stand. The breeze that rustles the trees above you once drifted across lands owned by Maria Magdalena Dávalos y Orozco, the famous Countess of Miravalle. Back in the 1700s, she dreamed of an estate so grand it needed its own private avenue. If you sniff the air, you might almost catch the whiff of fresh-cut grass and distant horse hooves from a long-past era. Now, let’s add some drama-because what’s a good story without a little suspense? The avenue you see wasn’t always destined for tree-lined splendor. There were grand French styles to imitate and urban plans that were drawn up, scrapped, and then recycled. For a while, the route was nothing more than a dusty path called "the private road to the Condesa Hacienda." Plans for rows of trees never took root, and instead, the real avenue grew elsewhere. Fast forward to the Porfiriato-lights, carriages, and the aroma of progress! British circus owner Edward Walter Orrín, who could probably juggle a lion while signing real estate contracts, steps on the scene. In 1902, Orrín and his fellow city dreamers saw this area’s potential and got to work building what would become the stately streets of Roma. Avenida Álvaro Obregón, originally named Avenida Jalisco, quickly gained fame for its modern Parisian feel: think extra-wide lanes, fancy art nouveau lampposts, and two tall lines of trees shading a broad median. That leafy median right here isn’t just for show-it’s been hosting historic mansions, sparkling fountains, and replicas of Greek and Roman statues since its earliest days. Imagine a young couple strolling in their Sunday best... …and suddenly spotting a Discobolus frozen in mid-throw! Yes, the statues around you aren’t just random-they include legendary pieces like the Gladiator Borghese and the Venus de Milo, plus some Mexican masterpieces for good measure. As decades passed, Avenida Álvaro Obregón grew into the beating, caffeinated heart of Roma. Its historic mansions saw artists come and go, while fountains and statues watched the world change. After General Álvaro Obregón’s assassination in 1928, the avenue was renamed in his honor, turning every stroll down this boulevard into a walk through both beauty and history. Today, you’re standing on one of Mexico City’s most beloved cultural corridors. Modern life pulses here: art galleries, trendy Argentine and Italian restaurants, and bookstores give the place an irresistible energy. If you’re lucky, there might be a book fair or an art show right on the median. You can almost taste the espresso in the air! So, as you wander down the avenue, just know each step is echoing with the hustle, legends, and laughter of over a century of citizens. Keep an eye out for those mythical statues-you never know when one might wink at you.

To spot the Lamm House, look for the elegant, cream-colored stone building with an ornate entryway and a sweeping staircase leading up to grand wooden doors flanked by vintage iron railings-it's right in front of you. Take a deep breath-can you smell the faint scent of old books and café treats floating on the breeze? Welcome to Casa Lamm, a true artistic time traveler in the heart of Roma. But don’t worry, this house isn’t haunted… unless you count the ghosts of poets, painters, and philosophers! Let’s step back in time to the turn of the 20th century, when this house was built in 1911-a dashing beacon of European-inspired elegance in what was once farmland owned by Pedro Lascuráin. If you close your eyes, you might hear horses clip-clopping past, the air buzzing with dreams of what the neighborhood could become. Casa Lamm wasn’t always a hub for art, literature, and espressos. It was originally designed as a mansion for Lewis Lamm and his family-imagine grand dinner parties, whispers of secrets under chandeliers! But here’s the twist: Lamm never lived here. Instead, it became the Colegio Francés Jalisco, a bustling boys’ school, with laughter and lessons echoing through these very halls. Then came the 1920s and the turbulent days of the Cristero War. Lewis Lamm wanted his property back, but when it was finally returned, it was a crumbling shell of its former self. After Lamm’s death in 1939, his widow sold the house to the García Collantes family-heroes in their own way, who would safeguard it for decades, refusing to see it meet the same demolition fate as so many mansions around them. In the 1990s, just when it looked like time might win the battle, Casa Lamm was rescued and transformed, bit by bit, into a center for the arts. By 1994, after a massive restoration project that battled decades of neglect, the house opened its doors as a vibrant cultural center-like a phoenix rising from the rubble, only with more exhibitions and fewer feathers. The first event was a literary gathering, with big names like Octavio Paz in attendance-imagine standing where poets once debated the meaning of life over coffee and pastries! Let’s peek into the future that the founders dreamed of: Claudia Gómez Haro, Germaine Gómez Haro, and Elena Lamm, along with others, ignited a movement that drew in galleries, artists, and creatives from all over the city. But there were plenty of hurdles! Public spaces struggled with crime and neglect, sometimes making even the bravest artist hesitate. Yet, here you stand, where so many kept the flame alive-something I’d call a real-life cliffhanger. Now, if you look behind the main entrance, you’ll see the garden-lush, alive, and studded with remarkable bronze sculptures by the artist Jorge Marín. On your right, "Balanza de surfistas" shows two masked figures trying desperately to balance, as if starring in the world’s most dramatic game of seesaw-don’t worry, they haven’t tipped over yet! On the left, "Joven de Tecoh," a winged man braced to leap, guarding the house’s secrets. Just past the path, the "Violinista en roca" seems about to fill the leaves with notes-listen close, you might catch a ghostly melody among the birds. Today, Casa Lamm offers everything from art history classes to hands-on workshops, a cozy bookstore filled with volumes in English and Spanish, and even a gourmet restaurant whose guests range from local artists to big-city dreamers. Downstairs, you’ll find treasures like the Pegaso bookstore and Las Flores del Mal restaurant, where you can feast on international cuisine with a Mexican twist-think huitlacoche and tamarind flavors worthy of a chef with a wild imagination. Here, you also stand at the gateway to some of Mexico’s most prized art collections-including treasures from the legendary photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo, safe in a climate-controlled vault built just to protect them. So, whether you’ve come to marvel at masterpieces or just enjoy a fancy coffee in this oasis of culture, Casa Lamm is living proof that beauty, like good stories, never really fades-it just waits for someone with a curious heart to step inside.

To spot Licorería Limantour, look for a sleek modern black building with large glass windows, glowing round lights, and a stylish wooden podium right at the entrance-you’ll see the crowd buzzing around inside and out! Now, picture this: you’re standing on a lively Mexico City street, and the aroma of lime and bitters drifts through the night air. Right in front of you is Licorería Limantour, a place that’s become almost legendary since it swung open its doors in 2011. Imagine that first night-a whirlwind of clinking glasses, jazz drifting through the room, and bartenders showing off their cocktail wizardry. This isn’t just a bar; it’s like walking onto a movie set where everyone’s a star, and the drinks are Oscar-worthy. Limantour jumped into the scene when craft cocktails were just starting to make a splash in Mexico, breaking away from the usual and mixing up drinks as bold as the city itself. The bar’s shelves are like a treasure trove-bottles from around the world, secret syrups, and the freshest fruit, all ready for a little mixology magic. Some say their margarita could charm even the pickiest tequila critic! Whether you’ve come for a taste of history or just a really, really good mojito, Limantour’s friendly vibe and inventive spirit will make you feel right at home. So, take a deep breath-can you smell the adventure? This is where stories are told in a glass, and everyone’s invited.

Look for a playful, inviting window filled with colorful cat-themed art and crafts, and a big "garros" sign that’s hard to miss-just follow the trail of quirky feline designs calling to you from inside! Welcome, cat lovers and curious wanderers alike, to Garros Galería, the only art gallery in all of Mexico dedicated entirely to cats! Picture it: You’re stepping into a space filled with every possible kind of feline fanfare-handmade crafts, pillows, paintings, jewelry, cups, T-shirts-if you can dream it with whiskers, it’s here. The story of this pawsitively unique place starts with siblings Joel and María del Carmen Nava Polina and their friend Rodrigo Moreno González. When they realized there were cat museums in places as far-flung as the Bahamas, but not a single one in Mexico, well, they pounced right on the opportunity. You know you’re in for a treat when the founders themselves come from a family with fifteen cats. No wonder their collection of cat treasures outgrew their living room! Back in 2006, they gathered artists and friends, everyone pitching in an artwork or two for the grand opening. No one really knew what to expect, but cat lovers are a peculiar, dedicated bunch. Soon, the gallery was swamped-not just with people from Mexico City, but with orders from Europe pinging in through the internet. Suddenly, owning a handmade cat sculpture from Garros Galería was the cat’s pajamas. This little corner of Colonia Roma-which, by the way, is famous for its hip galleries and specialty shops-became a magnet for feline aficionados and the simply curious. Even TV crews, from TV Azteca to Once TV, couldn’t resist stopping by to sniff out the story. Inside, your senses are delighted by more than 5,000 pieces of art from over one hundred creators-imagine the rainbow of colors and hundreds of styles, all echoing with the mischief and mystery of cats. Some artists, like Daniel Soler or Ana Karen Allende, add their own flavor, while the gallery’s logo, “El gato Dedrita,” grins down at you with playful promise. Prices range from a humble lollipop to a whopping oil painting. It’s like walking into a treasure chest that purrs-every item’s an original, no copycats here! Don’t miss the secretive “Gato Sombra,” a painting nestled in its own little niche. Legend has it, if you leave a handwritten wish, you just might find a bit of feline magic coming your way. Some say even the skeptics end up believing after a visit. And just when you think it’s all cats and cuddles, the gallery surprises you with exhibits from up-and-coming artists, often from the city’s Japanese community, like Fumiko Nakashima. Even if you don’t have a cat at home, by the time you leave, you’ll have caught a little bit of their charm. After all, Garros Galería is proof that in Mexico City, cats aren’t just pets-they’re a way of life!

Look across the street for a three-story cream-colored mansion with black-barred windows and a wooden double door-keep an eye out for the number 194 painted by the entrance and a big white sign in the middle window above. Now that you’re standing here, let me set the scene: It’s 1948, and British artist Leonora Carrington has just unlocked this very door, stepping into what would become her magical workshop and family home for more than 60 years. Inside these walls, wild dreams and surreal stories took shape-imagine the scent of oil paint, the sound of typewriter keys, and a mischievous humor drifting through the halls. Carrington didn’t just paint here with her husband “Chiki” Weisz, the Hungarian photographer, she poured her eccentric spirit into every corner, raising her children surrounded by art, oddities, and the kind of laughter that could only come from a true original. Over those years, this mansion on Chihuahua Street became a living sketchbook for over 8,000 fascinating objects, and whispers of imaginary creatures may still be hiding just out of sight. In 2017, there was a plot twist-the university bought the house from Carrington’s son, promising it would become a museum for all to explore. But in classic surrealist fashion, plans changed; as of 2024, it’s now a documentation center for teaching and research instead. So while you might not wander inside today, you can still pause outside and picture the stories, mysteries, and creative storms-this is a house where reality was always a little stranger and more wonderful than fiction.

Look for a white house with tall black window panes and brick accents on the quiet street-just peek to your left and you’ll spot a leafy entrance and a glimpse of cozy, art-filled rooms inside. Now, let’s step into the world of Leonora Carrington-if these walls could talk, they’d surely whisper surreal secrets! Right here at Chihuahua 194, Leonora, the legendary English-Mexican artist and writer, lived out over six decades of fabulous creativity. Imagine the scent of old books mixed with paint and a bit of mystery wafting through three sunlit stories, where strange sculptures and wild stories came to life. Here, she raised two sons, worked alongside her photographer husband, and made magical art surrounded by odd creatures and uncanny dreams. After Leonora’s death in 2011, the house waited quietly until 2017, when the Autonomous Metropolitan University stepped in, restoring the home and gathering her treasures-over 8,000 objects! In 2021, it opened briefly as a museum, but ah, the plot thickens: a disagreement between the university and its workers forced it closed, and now it sits in limbo, claimed as a research center. So if you feel a little tug of mystery while standing here, don’t be surprised-Carrington’s magic and a bit of unfinished business still echo through this extraordinary house!