Gazing upon this unique building, you find yourselves at the Museo Xul Solar. It’s not just a museum. It’s a portal into the mind of Alejandro Xul Solar, a true visionary. Museo Xul Solar opened its doors in 1993. It showcases the incredible legacy of Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari, the man who became Xul Solar.
Xul Solar wasn’t just an artist; he was a polymath. He delved into music, architecture, writing, painting, sculpture, and even invented languages. He befriended literary giant Jorge Luis Borges, illustrating some of his books and collaborating on various projects. The Museo Xul Solar houses a collection of his vibrant, mystical paintings. These works are filled with floating cities, symbols, and otherworldly figures. They offer a glimpse into Solar’s vision of a reformed universe, a utopia guided by universal language and cosmic harmony.
The museum is located beneath Xul Solar’s former apartment. You can almost feel his presence as you explore the galleries. Imagine him crafting his two invented languages, Neo-Criollo and Pan-Lengua. Neo-Criollo was a blend of Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages. He envisioned it as a universal language for South America. Pan-Lengua, even more complex, was rooted in math, music, astrology, and visual art. He saw it as a bridge between different cultures and disciplines.
The Museo Xul Solar also holds his modified piano. He reimagined it with three rows of colored keys, corresponding to the colors in his paintings. He essentially turned the canvas into sheet music. He even reinvented chess, creating “Pan Chess” on a 13×13 board with ever-shifting rules. It was a game reflecting his belief in a dynamic and evolving universe.
Xul Solar’s creativity extended beyond art and language. He dreamt of flying cities as a solution to overpopulation. He envisioned a self-sufficient city in space, a “celestial Jerusalem.” Museo Xul Solar preserves not just his art, but also his personal archive, documents, and his extensive library of nearly 3,500 books. This place allows you to explore the fascinating intersection of art, language, mysticism, and cosmic thought that defined Xul Solar’s life. His spirit of innovation and his quest for a more perfect universe continue to inspire within these walls. He believed that there would always be a tomorrow, a sentiment that resonates with the enduring power of his work at Museo Xul Solar.