In the Plaza Santo Domingo, near the temple of the same name, stands a historic building that was once the Royal College and Seminary of San Luis Gonzaga. Founded in 1616 by the Society of Jesuits, it subsequently passed into the hands of the Dominicans in 1785, in which it took the name of College of the Immaculate Conception. Today, this building is now home to the Museo Pedro Coronel, considered to be one of the richest in Latin America
In 1983, it was converted to house the collection of works of art donated by the artist Pedro Coronel from Zacatecas. This collection includes pieces from pre-Hispanic Mexico, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Africa, China, Japan, India and Oceania.
Here, the works of internationally renowned artists are to be admired, such as Dali, Picasso, Miro, Chagall, Braque, Hogarth and Vasarely. Other distinguished works on display are sculptures from the colonial period, and a rich collection of about 20 thousand volumes from the 16th to 19th centuries held in the beautiful library Elias Amador .
Pedro Coronel was born in Zacatecas in 1921. He studied painting and sculpture at the La Esmeralda National School of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving in Mexico City, where he was later a teacher. During his stay in Paris, he frequented workshops given by the painter and sculptor Brancusi Bremer.
His work is inspired by the colors of pre-Hispanic and primitive art, and is centered in expressionism, with simplified forms. His works have been exhibited in Mexico, the U.S., Paris, Italy, Brazil, Belgium, Tokyo, and Osaka. In 1959, he won the National Award for Painting and the “Jose Clemente Orozco award from the 1st Inter-American Biennial of Mexico.
In 1984, he received the National Arts Award at the hands of the President of the Republic. Coronel died in 1985, in Mexico City, and his remains rest in the museum garden.
Open from 10:00 to 4:30 - Closed on Thursdays; Adults $ 30 pesos
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