Mexico City has many temples to Frida Kahlo, a talented artist with a tragic destiny, who lived and worked there. One of the best-known locations to pay tribute to Kahlo’s legacy has traditionally been Casa Azul, a house where the artist lived with her husband, Diego Rivera. Yet, a recent opening of Museo Casa Kahlo, just a few blocks away from the world-famous Casa Azul (featured image), promises to add more tourist and art highlights to the city. Let’s take a look at the new museum and the unique artefacts from Kahlo’s life and creative portfolio it offers.
So, how did an idea to open the second museum of Kahlo in such proximity to the famous Casa Azul come about? This ruby-colored house, also referred to as Casa Roja, was the Kahlo family residence. Located at Aguayo 54 in Coyoacán, it first belonged to Frida’s parents and was later passed to her sister, Cristina.
Due to such intimate ties of Frida Kahlo to this residence, which still holds unique memories of her early childhood years and family ties, the museum’s curators made a deliberate choice to frame this space as her family story. Visitors can see Kahlo’s letters kissed with lipstick, her childhood toy collections, garments with fancy Mexican embroidery, and her early sketches drawn long before her artistic maturity but already hinting at the creative genius being formed.
Museo Casa Kahlo balances the public spectacle of Casa Azul, serving as a more open representation of the artist’s legacy. In this museum, visitors receive a unique opportunity to uncover other shades of Frida’s identity – as a daughter and sister – and embrace intimate family influences on her artistry.
A unique spot in Casa Roja is the house’s basement, where Frida used to escape for studies and creative experimentation. Routine home spaces, such as the kitchen and courtyard, hold traces of the Kahlo family’s routines. Another one-of-a-kind exhibit of this unique place is an interactive darkroom of Frida’s father, Guillermo Kahlo, a photographer who taught his daughter to reinterpret the world through artistic lenses.
The family residence of the Kahlo family underwent restoration before its reopening as a museum. In this regard, curators chose to balance restoration with restraint, keeping the home’s modest outlook and equipping it with calibrated gallery spaces and interactive elements. The Rockwell Group curated the house’s restoration to preserve its authenticity while expanding its narrative and offering visitors an immersive journey into Frida Kahlo’s family atmosphere.
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