The museum
National Museum of the Graphic Arts
The collection of the National Museum of the Graphic Arts (MUNAG) brings together pieces of great historical value in the development of Mexican culture, and of the graphic arts in particular, making it the largest collection of its kind in the world, with more than 18,000 pieces in its full inventory.
It holds historic pieces such as the first known printing press in the American continent, which reached Mexico through the port of Veracruz in 1539, also known as the Juan Pablos Press.
Its holdings range from pre-Hispanic pieces to 19th- and 20th-century presses, including original engravings by Manuel Manilla and José Guadalupe Posada, both pioneers in the history of the graphic arts in Mexico.
Besides its permanent collection, the MUNAG has hosted temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists in fields such as photography, illustration, painting and graphic design.
Mission
National Museum of the Graphic Arts
To preserve and share the collection that is part of the history of the graphic arts in Mexico, the Americas and the world, promoting the museum as a source of culture, research, information and education in this discipline, so that its visitors understand its historical importance to humanity over more than seven centuries.
1900 – today
History
The collection begins with the museum and legacy of Guillermo Echaniz and his wife, Julieta Latremouille, who devoted their lives to acquiring, keeping and exhibiting this collection for 70 years (1900 to 1970).
Later, Don Armando Birlain Schafler (1925–1996), one of the distinguished figures of Mexico's modern graphic industry, acquired this great collection from them and enlarged it with pieces he collected throughout his life.
Today the collection remains in the care of the Fundación Armando Birlain S. para la Cultura y las Artes A.C., chaired by his son Eduardo, who since 2007 has been in charge of conserving, caring for, exhibiting and showing this collection of such importance to the world, with the main goal of developing and promoting the many cultural expressions of its social setting.
Gallery
The rooms
Click a photo to enlarge it.
From the collection
Highlights
The first printing press in the Americas, a choir book, works by Manuel Manilla and José Guadalupe Posada, and a lithographic press.
