Mexican tycoon opens his art

THE world's richest man, telecom tycoon Carlos Slim, is opening a museum in Mexico City where he plans to share his vast collection of fine art and collectables with the public without charging visitors an admission fee.

The billionaire, whose fortune was estimated at $US53.5 billion by Forbes magazine last year, topping Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett, has named the Soumaya Museum after his late wife.

It will open on March 29 and display a rotating selection of Mr Slim's 66,000 artworks, including pieces by Mexican artists such as Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo, as well as European masters.

Mr Slim is said to especially admire Auguste Rodin, and his collection of the French sculptor's work is one of the largest outside France.

Designed by Mr Slim's architect son-in-law, Fernando Romero, the six-storey, anvil-shaped building cuts a dramatic arc through the skyline of the capital's upmarket Polanco district. About 16,000 aluminium panels make up the museum's bending exterior, reflecting sunlight on to broad stairs leading to the entrance.

Inside, the Soumaya features 117,000 square metres of exhibition space in six halls.

One hall will house Mr Slim's collection of coins, bills, gold and silver, displayed for the first time. ...

Mr Slim, 71, is the son of a Lebanese-born merchant whose retail, telecom, manufacturing and construction companies dominate Mexico's commercial landscape.

via Mexican tycoon opens his art.