Mexican billionaire's art museum to open to public

The new Mexico City museum of the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, opened its doors Tuesday, giving the public a glimpse of a collection of more than 66,000 works of art.

The Soumaya Museum, named after Slim's late wife, draws on works of mainly Mexican and European art, including Rodin, Cezanne, Renoir and Leonardo Da Vinci, as well as coins and documents from the 16th century Spanish conquest.

Slim told a news conference Monday that it would enable "Mexicans who can't travel abroad to physically get to know works by the greatest artists."

There will be no entrance fee to the museum which includes a six-story exhibition space, a 350-seat auditorium, a public library, a cafeteria, lounge and warehouses.

It is part of an 800-million-dollar urban development scheme, including housing and a five-star hotel.

Slim recently made the top of the Forbes rich list for a second consecutive year with a fortune estimated at $74 billion, up $20.5 billion from the previous year.