The international contemporary art collection, which starting today will be permanently located in this museum, which will bear my name by unanimous agreement of the Board of Trustees who kindly offered me both the construction of the building and its administration; constitutes a gift that my lady and I make to the country with great affection, with the firm conviction that it will enrich its cultural heritage in an estimable way, opening up new horizons for it.

We sincerely believe that Mexico is already conquering a place of some significance in the international order and, as a result, it seems to us that it is time for a definitive break in the field of culture that suffocating nationalist encirclement that has prevented it from communicating frankly and openly with other countries on Earth, sharing with them our fortunate experiences, but also recognizing the value of theirs, using them without prejudice for our own benefit.

We consider that this is the only civilized way to integrate into the world and to live harmoniously within it. Hopefully, then, that all of us, within our different modes of action, will contribute to the achievement of this end.

For my part, and in the field of plastic arts, which is my field of action, I believe that I comply with that approach, which I resolve in two ways: with my work, which is present almost everywhere in the civilized world, always representing Mexico, and then, with this donation, which I consider, fills an unforgivable void in a country of the cultural transcendence of ours, in which I am sure that through continuous coexistence with this collection of universal contemporary works, the people must discover new and unsuspected perspectives, and I am also sure that young people who are new to artistic work must feel stimulated by it to find their own form of expression.

Because it is clear that for a long time now, an atony has been felt in the national artistic environment caused by the insistence on the repetition of an artistic fact that, although it was in force half a century ago, at the present time so full of surprising novelties, is simply inoperative, making its renewal indispensable.

Fortunately, there is already a strong group of young painters who are completely removed from this trend and who are successfully starting new alternatives that are already giving a different physiognomy to our painting, and who will surely succeed fully in their purpose.

To them my warmest congratulations and my total support.

With the happy term of our purpose, Olga and I want to reiterate to the country the love with which we offer this collection of universal contemporary art, which constitutes, for us, an enormous effort that we have faced with great enthusiasm, waging a relentless fight against negative opinions that posed all kinds of obstacles to prevent its public presence, but that at last, and putting all our faith in the goodness of our project, today we can say with all our satisfaction to our people, of which we are proud to form Besides, that this collection belongs to them absolutely, hoping that they will enjoy it in all its validity.

Mexico City, 1981

Olga and Rufino Tamayo