The Frida Kahlo Museum will open in Mexico City in September this year
A new museum dedicated to the life and art of Frida Kahlo will open in September this year in Mexico City’s historic Coyoacán district.
The museum will be located in Casa Roja, a private residence purchased by Kahlo’s parents and passed down to the entire family in a generational family; it has become an arts institution for Rockwell Group, a New York-based architecture firm. The house was presented by the artist’s grandson, Mara Romeo Kahlo, who the Kahlo family says is the artist’s closest relative and heir.
“This is a dream our family longs for,” Mara Romeo Kahlo said in a statement. “Frida’s legacy belongs to the world, but it begins here – in these lands, in these houses, and in the culture that shapes her.
The space is adjacent to another important space in Kahlo’s heritage: Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo was born and raised and dwelling with her painter husband Diego Rivera and the place where she died.
Casa Azul was built by her father Guillermo and will continue to be part of the museum, which is managed by the Fideicomiso de Los Museos Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo Trust and managed by the Central Bank of Mexico. It has artworks by Kahlo, Rivera and other artists, as well as the couple’s Mexican folk art, former Hispanic artifacts, photos, souvenirs and personal vocabulary.
By contrast, Casa Roja will explore Kahlo’s starting point, focusing on influential cultural figures she knows and investigating her inspiration. The museum will also include exhibitions and exhibitions of contemporary art, focusing on Mexican, Latin American and female artists.
Adán García Fajardo was recently appointed director of the museum. He is currently the academic director of the Memory and Tolerance Museum in Mexico City.
The newly formed non-profit funding foundation provides funding for the museum, founded by the Kahlo family to protect the artist’s legacy and continue its efforts by promoting art and culture in Mexico, indigenous and Latin America. The New York-based foundation will support museums and related public programs, including the Biennale Kahlo Art Award and Grant Program. Fundación Kahlo will be hosted by public relations veteran Rick Miramontez.
