The Colección Jumex  was founded by Eugenio Lopez Alonso, conceived and directed by the independent art curator and historian Patricia Martín from 1998 to 2005.

Since March 2001, the collection has been open to the public.

The idea of setting up his own museum-style space came after visiting the Saatchi collection in London.

The Colección Jumex's museums are funded by López and his company Grupo Jumex. In 2011, curator and collector Patrick Charpenel Corvera was named the director of the new museum

Colección Jumex is believed to be the largest contemporary art collection in private hands in Latin America, with special emphasis on Mexican contemporary artists such as Miguel Calderón, Abraham Cruzvillegas and Mario García Torres amongst others.