Source: WTL photo© on site in Mexico City, 2008.
Image: A view of the grounds of the Museo Dolores Olmedo.
Comments: This museum was originally a 17th century hacienda called La Noria. The grounds are a veritable botanical garden. Several animals run freely on the grounds including wild turkeys, peacocks, and xoloitzcuintles, which is a breed of dog indigenous to Mexico. María de los Dolores Olmedo y Patiño Suarez (1908-2002) was a rich Mexican businesswoman and patron of the arts, and she was a friend of both Rivera and Kahlo. She bought this hacienda in 1962 and converted it into a museum in 1994. After seeting up a private endowment fund for the museum, it was then opened to the public.
Brief image tour of the hacienda and Museo Dolores Olmedo: See: => Mexico City #26; => Mexico City #26b; => Mexico City #26c.
Humanities topic: What is your opinion of a rich person buying a large property, collecting art, and then converting the entire thing into a museum open to the public? Can you think of similar cases in the United States or other countries?