National Museum of Mexican Art

Loved visiting this museum! I was looking for things to do in the Pilsen area and stumbled upon this. It's free (donations welcome) with some really wonderful art. During my visit, there were two special/temporary exhibits and their permanent collection open. I think some other areas were closed. As such, it didn't take me long to browse through.

I enjoyed all the exhibits, but there were a couple showstoppers in the permanent exhibit that actually stopped me in my tracks. The Legend of the Volcanoes (what a tragic story!) and this beaded masterpiece. Stunning!

I returned to the National Museum of Mexican Art and loved it just as much on this visit.

Located on a quiet side street in the Pilsen neighborhood, the location is easy to get to and offers a ton of parking.

I can't believe this small museum offers so many beautiful pieces and presents collections that are very impressive. The museum is clean and kept up nicely. I always enjoy spending a couple of hours here.

The gift shop is filled with so many nice things. I love the items for your home. There many things for kids too.

I will definitely return again soon.

We found this place on yelp and it said it was free so we decided to stop by. There's a side parking lot and you pay for parking. Someone greats you in the front. There's several rooms you can go into and see art. It's all really beautiful. There's a gift shop there. We purchased a few things and the attendant asked if I wanted to donate and I said yes I have $10 in cash. She ended up charging me another $10 on my card. Not sure if she pocketed the cash but I don't like the hidden fees. It ended up costing me a total of $40 so it wasn't really free. The art is nice but be cautious what they charge on your card.

Beautiful museum that's easy to visit. We bring out of town guests here frequently and enjoy it every time. Some amazing art to be found within its walls!

Check out this lesser known museum about Mexican art and culture. It's in Pilsen, a neighborhood known for Mexican businesses and restaurants so it fits in around here. The National Museum Of Mexican Art is among the best of the museums people don't usually go to. Free admission, which is the best thing about it. You can see both local and nationally known artists and learn about immigration and other stuff.

After looking for other museums we came here. It's one we had never been to yet so we chose it. This is in Pilsen, a Mexican neighborhood, and we knew about the Mexican restaurants. It's in Harrison Park, the main park of the neighborhood. Kind of far from the main areas but close enough to walk from the L stations. Free admission. The art has descriptions in both English and Spanish. There's some that celebrate indigenous cultures and their languages are used. Has both pretty new and older artwork. There's also collections of artifacts from important figures like Cesar Chavez and others.

Has lots to check out in here. It's closed Mondays but open other days and it's free to get in. The museum is pretty small but there's enough inside it can take awhile to get through.

I'm almost always open minded and love exploring new cultures and experiences, but I was really amazed by how much I loved this museum!

It's smaller and unassuming, located in the Mexican dominant community of Pilsen in Chicago (they also have several great murals and some awesome street art). It's also free! (Donations appreciated).

I love edgy, provocative art, as well as art that leans to the darker or more serious side. I was surprised by how many political and intellectually stimulating pieces were on site, though in retrospect I shouldn't have been!

The museum is broken up into a few different galleries. The first is a rotation selection of their permanent collection. Currently this section explores Mexican identity, religion, immigration, struggles with capitalism, imperialism, worker's rights, death, and more.

There was also a small exhibit on youth participation in neighborhood activities and how local programs and community investment can make a neighborhood better.

There is also a special exhibit by a visiting artist, and this particular exhibit had huge, colorful, modern pieces featuring stylish and ambitious Mexican youth.

The museum also takes care to feature Chicago area artists.

I learned a LOT about Mexican history, life, and culture here. There is a good bit of print--not a TON--but enough that I took photos to study and read more carefully later. Print is in English and Spanish.

There is parking next to the museum. For two hours, I paid around four bucks. I would plan at least an hour and a half or two hours to really appreciate the exhibits.

There are also a lot of local vendors and restaurants nearby, serving Mexican cuisine.

Been wanting to go here for quite a while. Found this to be worth the time to learn a bit more about Mexican culture and see some of the various regional Mexican art from regions of the country. Give a donation but it doesn't cost you anything to walk in.

I was extremely impressed with this museum!

First they have a pretty decent sized parking lot that is only $2/hr which is a great price for Chicago. The museum is by donation only and they take donations in the gift shop.

They were undergoing renovations when I was there but they still had two galleries open. I had never been to a Mexican art museum before- this was amazing. Everything was so beautiful! There was a giant piece (in my pictures) that looks like different tiles but it was completely made of seed beads. I cannot imagine how long that took to make. There was a painting called "The Mona Lupe" which I absolutely loved - it was probably my favorite piece. And the last piece I loved was in three parts - at one view you see the SunMaid lady, the next view is I a migrant worker, and the last view is of the migrant worker as a skeleton. It was a really moving piece.

They also had a gallery of local teenage Mexican artists- that was so cool to see their modern art displayed. They are extremely talented.

There is also a gift shop which is how the museum makes most of their money. I bought a few things including a day of the dead coaster, a hand painted Frida Kahlo mug, and some postcards. I would've loved to buy more. We spent a couple hours here and really enjoyed it!

An amazing collection of art and history!

I had such a great day exploring Pilsen and this was certainly my favorite part. The museum is free (!!) to enter. Despite being free, they have an impressive collection. The space is medium sized- enough to keep you busy for an hour or two, without being overwhelming.

They have sections devoted to Frida kahlo, activism, indigenous history, and more. Their information cards are informative and do a really great job of providing context and background. I had such a wonderful time learning about the artists as well as the activists that have contributed to Chicago and the Mexican community as a whole.

This is worth traveling to! I would definitely go again.

We have lived in the Chicago suburbs for almost 40 years. In all that time, we said we would visit Pilsen but had yet to. I had some vacation time to kill, so took the day off so we could finally get there. Going to the museum was going the be the highlight of our day.

And it certainly was the highlight of our day. Their special exhibit was dedicated to Dia de Los Muertos. The exhibit was colorful, beautifully laid out, and simply fun to see. There are three rooms of permanent exhibits with Mexican art going from nearly prehistoric times up to the present.

One fun room had art dedicated to Frida Kahlo. I don't think anything was done by her (although they do have some of her art in their other exhibits. This was a unique experience.

The National Museum of Mexican Art is a gem in the city. While there is no admission fee, donate what you can and buy something from the gift shop. While they get money from generous grants, we need to keep the heritage alive.

In all, it was a vibrant experience. While Chicago has a lot of museums, some world-class, this museum is something that everyone in and around Chicago should visit, at least once. And if you are visiting, remember to add this to your list of places to see.