Francisco Goitia Museum

The Francisco Goitia Museum is dedicated to the considerable work of many artists from the state of Zacatecas. The outstanding collection includes works by more than 170 works by artists from the state among them, Julio Ruelas, Pedro Coronel, and Manuel Felguérez.

The museum's namesake is Francisco Bollaín y Goitia García (1882-1960). Although his mother died in childbirth, Goitia is said to have enjoyed a peaceful childhood in Zacatecas. And although he'd professed an interest in the military, Goitia was soon packed off to Mexico City to study. he soon entered the Academy of San Carlos where he studied visual arts under José María Velasco, and Saturnino Herrán. He remained a friend of Rufino Tamayo, and came to know all of the great painters of this era. Packed off to Europe he was soon studying with the great masters of Spain and Italy, but with the Revolution in Mexico, his scholarship money ran out and he had to return. He witnessed many of the revolutionary conflicts first-hand, and the horror and pathos came to mark him deeply thereafter. In some sense, rejecting the muralism of the post-revolutionary period, Goitia came to serve as the conscience and moral rectitude of all those who survived the war and bore its scars into the mid-20th century. 

The museum itself is housed in a complex of buildings built in 1945 to house the state governor for both residential and official duties. It's something of a governor's mansion complex, and many photos will include the spire of the Fátima church just a few meters west of the complex. In 1962, the state governor found more a suitable digs, and in 1978 the complex was converted from a student housing complex into the new museum. 

The nature of Goitia's rare and remarkable work is such that the collection is always thoughtful and reflective. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also operates as a cultural center hosting concerts, recitals, and book presentations and always with something of the spirit of Goitia in his role as prophetic visionary and ecstatic artist. 

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.