 |
| Frida Kahlo |
La Casa Azul, or the Blue House, was the birthplace of iconic artist Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954), whose beautifully tortured self portraits and passionate, tumultuous life with muralist Diego Rivera have elevated her to the status of legend.
Her home, today one of Mexico City's most popular museums, doesn't have an outstanding collection of her own work, though there are several sketches and less famous pieces to see. Instead, the rooms and gardens - still in much the same state as she left them - offer insight into her life as a wife, lover, artist, and hub of the city's (and Latin America's) socialist intellectual scene during the 1920s and 1930s.
The tender details, from her brushes and canvasses, the pre-Columbian art collected by her husband, and even the prosthetic leg she wore in the months before her untimely death, will touch even casual visitors to the Museo Frida Kahlo.
The house was built in 1904 by Frida's father, Guillermo Kahlo, and was the Kahlo family home. Leon Trotsky stayed here as a guest of Frida and her husband Diego Rivera when he first arrived in Mexico in 1937. Diego Rivera later purchased the home, paying off the mortgage and debt that Frida's father had accumulated during his lifetime. The Casa Azul was converted into a museum in 1958, four years after Frida's death. It is decorated with Mexican folk art and contains Frida's and Diego's personal belongings from the time they lived there.
Each object in the home tells a story: the crutches, wheelchair and corset speak of Frida's medical troubles and physical suffering. The Mexican folk art shows Frida's keen artist's eye, how devoted she was to her country and traditions, and how she loved to surround herself with beautiful things. The couple enjoyed entertaining and their colorful kitchen with clay pots hanging on the walls and on the tiled stove would have been an ideal space for social gatherings. Some of the highlights of the museum include the kitchen, Frida's easel and wheelchair, and the garden with a central pyramid, terracotta pots and a few pieces from Diego's collection of Prehispanic art (more can be seen in the Museo Anahualcalli).
 |
| Frida Kahlo Museum, Mexico City |
 |
| Roots. 1943. self-portrait |
 |
| Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird |
 |
| Frieda and Diego Rivera Portrait |
 |
| Image of Frida for Day of the Dead |
 |
| Frida -1931 |
You may also like:
No comments:
Post a Comment