Museo Jumex

Much of Mexico City’s fervid contemporary art movement—galleries and collectors abound; the scene is now a launching pad for Mexican artists looking to conquer the world—can be traced to art patron Eugenio López Alonso, heir to the Jumex packaged-juice fortune, who over decades has amassed Latin America’s most extensive contemporary art collection and brought dozens of artists to the international spotlight. The collection’s flagship museum, itself a work of art by the British architect David Chipperfield, is a surprisingly intimate exhibition space that supports a rotating calendar of shows; the basement bookstore will delight bibliophiles and design freaks alike. Right nearby lies the Museo Soumaya, whose dramatic architectural form (which earned it the nickname “the Blender”) makes up for a collection some consider erratic.

You used to have to be both adventurous and patient if you wanted to see the holdings of Jumex, one of Mexico’s juice and canned good producers; its art gallery was beyond city limits and required a taxi or a combination of Metro and bus rides to arrive on the grounds of the factory, where the smell of jalapeños punctuated the air. The effort was worth it, but fans of Colección Jumex were thrilled when the company opened a museum in Mexico City proper in late 2013. The museum exhibits contemporary art, much of it by Mexican artists, in a massive building in Polanco. A cafe and bookstore are also on-site.