Mexican art collection featuring Frida Kahlo set for Europe exhibit amid heritage dispute

Mexico City residents and visitors enjoyed on Friday (July 17) the last days of one of the most important private collections of Mexican art, as it prepares to depart for a European tour amid a heritage debate.

Since it opened on Feb. 17, the exhibition "Modern Stories: Emblematic Works from the Gelman Santander Collection" has attracted over 310,000 visitors to the Museo de Arte Moderno in the Mexican capital. The exhibition closes on Sunday (July 19).

The exhibition showcases an art collection assembled by Mexican film producer Jacques Gelman and his wife, art collector Natasha Gelman, and features 68 works by key 20th-century Mexican artists, including Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo and Maria Izquierdo.

In January 2026, Spanish bank Santander announced an agreement to exhibit pieces from the collection over several years, sparking a debate over their ownership. The works had not been shown in Mexico in two decades.

Critics say the dispute stems from the fact that part of the collection — which includes pieces declared Artistic Monuments and legally protected by the Mexican government — was bought by private owners in 2023 with a bank loan and later pledged as collateral to Santander.

After pressure from artists and collectives, the government announced the works will return to Mexico in 2028. However, critics point to a leaked agreement among cultural authorities, Santander and the owners that sets an initial five-year term abroad, renewable indefinitely with no cap specified.

The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) in a statement said the collection was legally inherited by Robert Littman as executor of the Gelmans' estate, with courts confirming the transfer and current owners' title. It said the works' protected status does not affect ownership, and that permanent export is banned under Mexican law — meaning the Europe tour is temporary, with return set for 2028 and showing at Monterrey's MARCO museum.

Nevertheless, curator and journalist Gabriela Mosqueda says Mexico's cultural authorities have shown a lack of will to protect the collection, only fulfilling "the wishes of private individuals, the owners, the foundation (Santander), and the bank."

According to Mosqueda, the pieces are a relevant artistic record of the country and its history. The works encapsulate Mexicans' identity and function as a "mirror" for citizens, she said. Allowing them to leave permanently would contravene the wishes of the Gelmans and the artists themselves.

Camera: Jose Cortes / Production: Jose Cortes, Rodolfo Pena Roja, Andrea Rodriguez / Writing & Editing: Andrea Rodriguez/Reuters