La Casa del Risco, also known as Centro Cultural Isidro Fabela, is a museum located in front of the Plaza San Jacinto in San Angel neighborhood at southern Mexico City. The Centro was inaugurated on October 2, 1963, as a donation from Isidro Fabela and his wife, Doña Josefina de Fabela, on October 8, 1958. This historical building is destined to be a public museum of colonial art. La Casa del Risco has Vice Royal architecture, a symmetrical and austere façade, it is distinguished by its unique color ofthe 18th century, it is also decorated by a cross and a niche, which represents, that it is guarded by the moon and the sun. The interior shows the art collection that was kept by Isidro Fabela; The center has 7 showrooms, in which the spectator can appreciate Mexicanworks of art as much as other European pieces, from painting to sculptures, the museum has several artistic expressions. In the interior courtyard we can find the monumental “Fuente del Risco” from the 18th century and which author is unknown. Near “La Casa del Risco” is the library, the historical archive of the Mexican revolution, which contains Isidro's Fabela personal book collection from his post-revolution era as a politician, the photographic library and an auditorium. "...Y defendí a la República Española...por todo esto, por deber, por justicia, por ley y por amor a España, la defendí contra todo y contra todos"-Isidro Fabela
History
La Casa del Risco besides its artistic value as a vice-royal building has an important historical value, since it witnessed a lot of different passages throughout Mexico City history, and in some cases, participant. Its location is in center of San Ángel, its dimensions as a residence and strategic position, were some of the aspects that involved la Casa del Risco in military events like the American invasion to Mexico. According to the famous writer Manuel Payno, an ancient resident of this house. In San Angel was hosted general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, while the troops of general Gabriel Valencia were fighting bravely against the American enemies which outnumbered them, while waiting for backup, even though the closeness and the fact that Santa Anna counted with the necessary resources, the General did not help, leaving them to their own luck, losing the battle. After that, in the next assault American general David Twiggs, took as a military headquarters la Casa del Risco
Collection
Temporal Collection in 2015
A group of artist that have been working their creativity, their different techniques and styles, are the protagonists of the exquisite works of art exposed at the Centro Cultural Isidro Fabela. Among this collection works of artists like Julia López, Francisca de Diego and Mercedes Ortiz can be found. This exposition allows the spectator to travel in different worlds and expressions, the colors, the shapes of great diversity are very likely to touch deep emotions within the people.
Mercedes Ortiz Vaquero
Mercedes Ortiz Vaquero She works with different shapes, volume, texture and color, and is an artist by choice. She was born in Sevilla, Spain and she emigrated to the Canary Islands after the Spanish Civil War. She arrived to Mexico around 1950 and became Mexican in 1956. Some of her artwork available in La Casa del Risco are Poesía del Mar Arpegio La Pata Tobías
Francisca de Diego
This artist was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco. She studied art at the Motolina University. She has more than 30 years doing paintings full of colors and cheerful shapes which move around a family context and her everyday life represented in her paintings. She has collected several awards throughout her career. Some of her work available in La Casa del Risco are: Pueblo con Lago La Granja Pueblo Feliz Gato Rojo Lista para la foto
Julia López
Julia's paintings are made of her own Paradise, the weather, the colors, and the light of her paintings evoke the dream of nature. Her work contains more a dream than real landscapes. Her painting are a vision of a spiritual journey, enchanted by fairies and protected by angels. Some of the exhibits that can be found are:
Religious European Art Showroom
The relationship between human being and spiritual, has always meant a lot in different occasions, in some cases, the objective of life itself. For this reason, it has been considered of special importance the religious theme in history of art. The works of art gathered by Isidro Fabela offer a short vision of religious European art, developed in the 15th throughout 17th centuries and in which works of Corneliszen Van Oonstanen, David Tenniers, Francisco Francia are highlighted
Baroque Showroom
Vice-royal Mexican culture was soaked by Baroque art developed in the 17th century and reaching its fulfillment in the 18th, during this period the Spanish society were anxious to keep and to show their privileged status, by showing off the interior in their houses. With that same attitude Isidro Fabela and his wife gathered the collection of this showroom to enlighten la Casa del Risco.
