The richest man in the world, Carlos Slim, has yet again captured the attention of the art world, as the billionaire has now unveiled an all new art museum worth $34 million in commemoration of his deceased wife, Soumaya Domit, who sadly passed away in the year 1999 due to kidney failure. Carlos Slim, whose assets are estimated to be worth a whopping $69.5 billion has stated that, the entry to the museum will be made free for all visitors, while the maintenance and other expenses for this incredible museum will be catered to by the Carlos Slim Foundation. The all new museum, with the preferred nomenclature, Soumaya, will be become home to some 66,000-pieces of invaluable artwork from the billionaire’s own collection, featuring some of the biggest names in Mexican art, such as the likes Diego Rivera, along with Spanish art masters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.
The Soumaya has been designed and developed by architect, Fernando Romero, who also happens to be the son in law of Carlos Slim and is the apprentice of the famed ritzker Prize winner and urbanist Rem Koolhaas. The Soumaya museum is measured to be 150-foot-tall and is consists of six floors, featuring some of the most iconic art works from Spanish, Mexican, French and other European artists. The art displayed at the Soumaya has been handpicked by Mr. Slim and the billionaire has even designed the logo for the museum, that is the name of his late wife  in his own handwriting. Even though Carlos Slim is considered to be a foremost Mexican cultural philanthropist, yet Mr. Slim has stated that his foundation as well as telecommunications company Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), will continue to fund various charitable efforts in the field of health, education, sports and public welfare.
According to Carlos Slim,
“In the world of culture, we will operate a museum and we will find other works and we will lend the collection to other museums. Health and education is where our efforts are focused and we want to support human capital. The most important way to take people out of poverty is through employment. When you are an investor maybe you can sell your investments, but it’s important for me to develop these companies. We don’t think it’s necessary to give away half. Why half? Why not 80 percent or 70 percent or 60 percent?â€
Via Bloomberg
Carlos Slim Unveils An All New Art Museum Featuring Historical Mexican Artists in memory of his lovely wife Soumaya Domit. Carlos Slim is a class act and has my vote for Man of the year. I am sure that the museum has all the latest in spy cams, spy equipment and security cameras to protect all the priceless art work.