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Modern Mexico

Mexico City and Oaxaca with curator and commentator Gina Fairley
9–21 March 2027

Image of Casa Gilardi, the final masterpiece of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barraga

Modern Mexico: passion, colour and creativity

Frida and Diego may be household names, but who were the other Mexican modernists? Step back in time with tour leader Gina Fairley to the vibrant, cosmopolitan era of the 1920s-to-1940s, when the post-revolution government entrusted artists to tell the stories of a new nation.

Immerse yourself in the passion, colour and creativity of their lives and those who surrounded them, from Frida’s parents – photographer Guillermo Kahlo and her Oaxacan-born mother, Matilde Calderón – to a radical circle of artists including David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Lola Álvarez Bravo, María Izquierdo, and international photographers Tina Modotti and Edward Weston.

Explore Mexico City’s grand boulevards and iconic architecture which played a part in shaping modern Mexico, blending Indigenous heritage with the new modernist International Style of architecture.

Then dive head-on into contemporary Mexico City which now boasts more art museums than New York or Paris. We’ll visit private collections, major museums and artist studios.

Our final stop is Oaxaca, the Indigenous heart of the country, where we’ll find inspiration in the textile and pottery studios of Mexican artisans.


Booked out – email us to join the waitlist

Woman in traditional clothing weaving fabric on a loom at an outdoor market

Zapotec weaver in an outdoor market in Oaxaca, Mexico

Photo: Alamy

Tour details

Large street art mural on a building in Oaxaca

Street art mural historic centre of Oaxaca

Photo: Carles Gil Pujals​

A group of people walking up a staircase with a large mural​

Diego Rivera's mural Class Struggle and The History of Mexico at the Palacio Nacional de México

Photo: Alamy​

Artisans using traditional stone grinders

Indigenous women grinding cacao in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca

Photo: Gina Fairley​

A building with blue tiles on the wall​

The Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles) in Mexico City

Photo: Getty Images ​

Blue courtyard with potted plants and colourful floors

Museo Frida Kahlo also known as the Blue House (La Casa Azul)

Photo: Carl Campbell / Flickr​

Cactus in front of a historical building

Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán Catholic cathedral in Oaxaca, Mexico

Photo: Getty Images​

Large street art mural on a building in Oaxaca

Street art mural historic centre of Oaxaca

Photo: Carles Gil Pujals​

To note:

The Art in Focus International Tours program is presented by the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ members organisation, the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales. As well as providing a wonderful experience, your travel tour will also help to raise funds to support the Art Gallery.


Art in Focus International Tours are open to anyone who appreciates the best of travel, not only Art Gallery members.

Top image:

Casa Gilardi, the final masterpiece of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barraga, photo: Carles Gil Pujals

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