Several museums and public spaces honor Frida Kahlo in Mexico City.
Frida Kahlo, a 20th-century Mexican artist, produced approximately 200 paintings, often raising awareness surrounding Mexico and its indigenous inhabitants’ cultures. With her works inspiring discussion regarding the representation of marginalized groups, several museums and public areas have opened to commemorate the painter’s contribution to communities across the world.
One of the places patrons can visit is Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán borough, the site where the artisan was born and died. Constructed in 1904, the relatively small building eventually became loaded with folk and pre-Hispanic art. Through its years as a home for Kahlo, Diego Rivera, a prominent artist, and Leon Trotsky, a Communist theorist, the structure’s interior has remained intact.
Nowadays, visitors can see featured artworks such as “Frida and the Cesarean” (unfinished,) “Portrait of My Father” and “Viva la Vida, Watermelons,” as well as exhibitions like “Appearances Can Be Deceiving: The dresses of Frida Kahlo” and “The Restored Table: Memory and Reunion,” which provides a dialogue between French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier and Kahlo.
A 12-minute walk away from Museo Frida Kahlo is Cantina La Guadalupana Tulancingo, a bar Kahlo and Rivera frequented. Founded in 1932, the eatery has served notable figures for decades and offers moderately priced food one can enjoy while they are in the neighborhood.
Before the female influencer and Rivera settled in Coyoacán, though, they lived in buildings currently known as Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, or Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House-Studio Museum. Consisting of three house-studios, a photographic laboratory and a garage, the structure offers patrons a glimpse into the functionalism-inspired spaces the painters occupied while producing some of their most significant works, such as Kahlo’s “El ojo avizor” and Rivera’s “Judas y Calaveras.”
Visitors may see several other important collections by the artisans at Museo Dolores Olmedo, which is situated in Xochimilco, a neighborhood in southern Mexico City. After opening in 1994, the institution has showcased significant works by Kahlo and Rivera, allowing guests to see 20th-century works in an environment comprised of 17th-century colonial architecture and lush greenery.
What’s more, the museum contains illustrations and woodcuts by Russian artist Angelina Beloff, who was Rivera’s wife for 10 years, and an assemblage of more than 900 archaeological pieces.
To appreciate Kahlo in a different atmosphere, one can visit Parque Frida Kahlo, which provides a green area and bronze sculpture dedicated to the artisan, along with several other figures of deer, ducks and eagles and a playground for children to enjoy. Although the space is small in comparison to some of the city’s other parks, it still offers a relatively tranquil experience in Mexico City’s historic center.
Although Kahlo died in 1954, her influence on discourses regarding noteworthy topics has remained significant, and both fanatics and casual supporters of her work can see the artist’s products at various sites across Mexico City.
With an experience consisting of extraordinary paintings, historic restaurants, remarkable architecture and refreshing greenery, exploring Kahlo throughout the municipality can result in a memorable journey.
