A new museum dedicated to the artist Frida Kahlo’s life and work, Museo Casa Kahlo, will open this fall in Coyoacán, Mexico City, members of the Kahlo family announced on Thursday.
The museum, designed in part by Rockwell Group, will be located at Casa Roja, a private residence purchased by Frida Kahlo’s parents and handed down to Frida and her sisters. It was ultimately given to the museum by Mara Romeo Kahlo, the artist’s grandniece, her closest living relative and heir.
“Everyone knows Frida the artist,” Romeo said in an interview on Wednesday, but not “the human being, my aunt. The family was very important for Frida because it was her support.”
Casa Roja became the home of Frida’s sister Christina, who then handed it down to her daughter Isolde, who then handed it down to her daughter Mara Romeo. It will be adjacent to the famed Casa Azul, the family home built by Kahlo’s father, Guillermo, that is part of Museo Frida Kahlo and managed by a trust — Fideicomiso de los Museos Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo — administered by the central bank of Mexico.
While Casa Azul tells the story of her life with her husband, Diego Rivera, the new museum will focus on Kahlo’s origin story, starting with her father and his photography career, which helped set Kahlo on her artistic path.
Adán García Fajardo, who is currently the academic director at the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City, will be director of the museum.
The creation of Museo Casa Kahlo is made possible in part by a newly formed nonprofit organization based in New York City, Fundación Kahlo, that was established by the Kahlo family to preserve the artist’s legacy and promote Mexican, Indigenous, and Latin American art and culture.
The Foundation will oversee the development, opening, and stewardship of the museum, as well as programs on Kahlo’s artistic legacy and values. Chaired by Rick Miramontez, the New York public relations veteran known for representing Broadway shows, the foundation plans on establishing the Kahlo Art Prize, a biennial award recognizing visionary contemporary artists, and Las Ayudas, a grant program.
“I’m Mexican American, so there is that big connection,” Miramontez said in a phone interview. “When I met the family and heard their goals, I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be of service.”
Robin Pogrebin, who has been a reporter for The Times for nearly 30 years, covers arts and culture.
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