Soumaya
Museum
Year
2011
Status
Built
Scale
16,000 m2 / 172,222 ft2
Typology
Museum
Location
Mexico City, Mexico
Client
Fundación Carlos Slim
Consultants
Alfonso Miranda, Arquitectura de la Luz, Arsenio Rodríguez Consulting, Arup, Colinas de Buen, Dypro, Garza Maldonado y Asociados, Gehry Technologies, Hubard y Bourlon Security, Kone, Lighteam, Mier y Terán, Petra Blaisse, Saad Acústica, Swecomex
Team
Fernando Romero and Mauricio Ceballos with: Matthew Fineout, Sergio Rebelo, Omar Gerala Félix, Laura Domínguez, Herminio González, Ana Medina, Ana Paula Herrera, Ignacio Méndez, Mario Mora, Juan Pedro López, Guillermo Mena, Libia Castilla, Raúl García, Manuel Díaz, Alan Aurioles, Ana Gabriela Alcocer, Luis Ricardo García, Iván Ortiz, Tiago Pinto, Olga Gómez, Hugo Fernández, Kosuke Osawa, Francisco Javier de la Vega, David Hernández, Jorge Hernández, Joaquín Collado, Mariana Tafoya, Eduardo Benítez, Pedro Lechuga, Thorsten Englert, Luis Fuentes, Luis Flores, Rodolfo Rueda, Víctor Chávez, Max Betancourt, Wonne Ickxs, Dolores Robles-Martínez, Sappho Van Laer, Ophelie Chassin, Elena Haller, Abril Tovar, Diego Eumir Jasso, Albert Beele, Homero Yánez, Cynthia Meléndez, Hugo Vela, Susana Hernández Aparicio, Gerardo Galicia, Alberto Duran, Camilo Mendoza, Dafne Zvi Zaldívar, Cecilia Jiménez, Ángel Ortiz, Raúl Antonio Hernández, Alma Delfina Rosas, Wendy Guillen, Raúl Flores, Daniel Alejandro Farías, Jesús Monroy, Saúl Miguel Kelly, Iván Javier Avilés, Jacqueline Hernández and Cesar Pérez.
Home to Carlos Slim’s remarkable collection of nearly 70,000 works, the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City’s Plaza Carso is a cultural treasure showcasing art from the 15th century to the modern era, including one of the world’s largest collections of Rodin sculptures. The museum’s striking architectural form—an iconic, rotated rhomboid clad in over 16,000 hexagonal mirrored-steel tiles—reflects both its artistic contents and the dynamic environment of the city.
Inspired by Mexico City’s colonial tiled facades, the facade is designed to shift in appearance with the changing light, weather, and viewer’s position, offering a constantly evolving visual experience that echoes the diversity of the collection within.

Visitors enter through a tunnel-like passage that opens into a luminous lobby with white marble floors, setting the stage for an immersive journey. The museum’s interior unfolds across six levels, connected by spiral ramps reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim. This flowing layout allows guests to experience the art continuously, with each level offering a unique perspective on the collection—from European paintings to Mexican artifacts and renowned sculptures.
At the top, a skylit, column-free gallery provides an expansive space for larger works, completing the visitor’s journey in a light-filled sanctuary for art. In addition to the galleries, the museum includes an auditorium, library, restaurant, and communal spaces, making it a cultural hub that both honors and elevates Mexico City’s vibrant artistic legacy.