Museum of Modern Art in Mexico

Special: Museum of Modern Art in Mexico reveals the hidden aroma of its masterpieces in a sensorial experience

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 13, 2025 (Xinhua) -- A woman looks at a painting displayed at the exhibition "A Prickly Pear and a Tower of Light on a Desk" at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, Aug. 7, 2025. The exhibition, titled "A Prickly Pear and a Tower of Light on a Desk," allows visitors to appreciate works by artists Remedios Varo, Diego Rivera, Olga Costa, Rufino Tamayo, Dr. Atl, and Enrique Metinides through fragrances designed to evoke their essence and atmosphere. (Xinhua/Francisco Cañedo)

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Fruity, resinous, and mysterious aromas invite visitors to discover the smell of some of the most emblematic works of modern Mexican art in a unique proposal that transforms artistic contemplation into a sensorial experience.

The exhibition, titled "A Prickly Pear and a Tower of Light on a Desk," allows visitors to appreciate works by artists Remedios Varo, Diego Rivera, Olga Costa, Rufino Tamayo, Dr. Atl, and Enrique Metinides through fragrances designed to evoke their essence and atmosphere.

Notes of sulfur, copal, wood, fruits, and roses invade different spaces of the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Mexico City, marveling all who visit this venue, key to the dissemination and promotion of modern art in the Latin American country.

Six emblematic pieces of modern Mexican art include "Green Fire in the Paricutín" by Dr. Atl; "Day of the Dead" by Diego Rivera; "The Fruit Vendor" by Olga Costa; and "The Flutist" by Remedios Varo; "Homage to the Indian Race" by Rufino Tamayo; and "Photograph of the Fall of the St. Regis Hotel in the 1985 Earthquake," by Enrique Metinides, will allow the public to experience a new way of interpreting painting through the senses.

"On this occasion, we are collaborating with the Perfume Museum to interpret five works through bowls containing aromas, which is a precisely olfactory interpretation of the works," Carlos Segoviano, associate curator at the MAM, told Xinhua.

One of the goals of this venue, the curator explained, is to provide ideal spaces for everyone, and the exhibition opens an unexplored door to enjoying art without the need for sight.

"Something that has also been of great interest to the museum, especially through the mediation space, is being able to attract audiences with different abilities. So, perhaps an audience that cannot approach the work visually. Now, they have the opportunity to do so through smell," he said.

The specialist commented that attendees can also learn a little more about perfume making and its meaning.

"From there, we can even understand the history of perfume or how it is interpreted, because a scent like the one prepared by master perfumers has three levels: there is a top note, a body, and a base," Segoviano explained.

Therefore, when the public approaches these works, they are explained the reason for the choice of scent for each work.