A new museum dedicated to renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has opened its doors to the public in Mexico City, offering unprecedented insights into the artist's family life through personal letters, photographs, and clothing. The museum is housed in the Red House, formerly the secret residence of Kahlo's parents, which had remained in the family's possession and kept its address confidential until Saturday when it officially opened to visitors.
The house was purchased in 1930 by Kahlo's parents - German photographer Carl Wilhelm Kahlo and Mexican Matilde Calderón - following Frida's marriage to muralist Diego Rivera. While Frida herself rarely lived in the house, it held profound significance for the artist as a family sanctuary. Her sister Cristina and her family later resided there, maintaining the property's importance to the Kahlo family legacy.
Frida Kahlo, born in 1907, became a world-famous artist known primarily for her self-portraits, including the iconic "The Broken Column," before her death in 1954 at just 47 years old after a life filled with physical and emotional suffering. Her distinctive appearance, featuring a unibrow and mustache in her self-representations, has become synonymous with her artistic identity and appears on various souvenirs. She is considered a cultural icon and a pioneer of feminism.
Kahlo's physical struggles began early in life when she contracted polio at age six. At 18, she suffered severe injuries in a bus accident that changed her life forever. An iron rod pierced through her body, breaking her spine in three places, leading to multiple surgeries throughout her lifetime. These experiences profoundly influenced her artistic expression and emotional depth.
According to Frida Hentschel Romeo, a great-granddaughter of one of the artist's sisters, speaking to The New York Times, "We always wanted to tell Frida's story from the family's perspective." The family aimed to showcase the support network that contributed to helping the artist achieve her extraordinary status. The museum reveals how this family foundation played a crucial role in Kahlo's artistic development.
"The house was a refuge for Kahlo," explained Mara Romeo, the artist's great-niece who lived in the Red House until two years ago. "Whenever she felt bad or had fought with someone, she would come here and write and paint in the basement of this house." This basement served as Kahlo's creative sanctuary where she could process her emotions through art.
The new museum presents family history through personal objects and historical documents, offering visitors a comprehensive view of the Kahlo family legacy. Exhibits include the story of Wilhelm Kahlo's journey from Germany to Mexico, as well as details about the steamship voyage that took Frida and Cristina to New York in 1938 for her first solo exhibition.
Visitors can view early paintings by Kahlo and previously unknown murals she created for the kitchen, which had been hidden under new layers of paint for years following a renovation. The museum also displays her dresses, blouses, jewelry, and Asian dolls she purchased in San Francisco, providing intimate glimpses into her personal tastes and travels.
"This is a historical archive with photos and documents from that era," said María José Camacho, the museum's general advisor. The exhibition also explores Wilhelm Kahlo's legacy as a photographer, adding another dimension to the family's artistic heritage.
Located in the Coyoacán neighborhood, the building with its distinctive red exterior walls sits just a few streets away from Frida's famous Blue House. The Blue House, where the artist lived for 36 years, remains one of Mexico City's most visited museums, making this new addition a significant complement to the existing Kahlo museum landscape in the area.
