Diego Rivera’s Grandson Donates 150,000 Objects to Major Mexico City Museum
Juan Rafael Coronel Rivera, the grandson of Diego Rivera, is donating more than 150,000 objects to Mexico City’s Museo Anahuacalli, significantly expanding the museum’s holdings and refocusing attention on Rivera’s original vision for the site. Reported by The Art Newspaper and ARTnews, the gift spans items from 16th-century ceramics to textiles, photographs, wooden objects, prints, and archival materials connected to Rivera and his circle, though it includes no paintings by Rivera or Frida Kahlo. The transfer will occur in stages over the coming months—starting with ceramics, then manuscripts and correspondence—with completion expected by the end of the year; Coronel Rivera assembled the collection over more than four decades. Museum leaders, including director Teresa Moya, said the donation strengthens Anahuacalli’s research and conservation role, while architect Mauricio Rocha is developing proposals for new buildings to house the collection, with construction expected in late 2026 or 2027.
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This story was covered in Biennales Under Fire, A.I. Rewrites the Canon