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It features skirts, blouses, rebozos, headgear, shoes, outfits that show how, through attire, the artist revisited her family tradition, hid her disability, and constructed her iconic image. Frida’s style has inspired renowned international designers and has created a bridge between fashion from the past and that of the present. We watched the movie “Frida” last night, inspired by our trip to Mexico City and visit to La Casa Azul.
History
When she was 18, she was involved in a streetcar accident that left her with a broken spinal column and other major injuries. She even had a mirror installed on the ceiling of her bedroom so she could create self-portraits. After taking in the ambiance of Kahlo’s living quarters, including her preserved studio space, visitors can explore the other rotating thematic exhibits. And don’t forget to bask in the lush courtyard garden, still immaculately preserved all these years later.
Explore “La Casa Azul”: Frida Kahlo’s Famous Blue House-Turned-Museum
Although she began sketching at a young age, Kahlo was more interested in the sciences and instead dreamed of studying medicine. In 1922, she was selected for Mexico City’s esteemed National Preparatory School. During her time here, Kahlo crossed paths with Diego Rivera, a renowned Mexican artist who had been commissioned to paint a mural at the school. The encounter marked the beginning of the pivotal roles they would play in each other’s lives. La Casa Azul was Frida Kahlo's birthplace, childhood and part of adulthood residence, and her death place.
Entering the Courtyard with the Famous Pyramid
The museum offers a glimpse into her life and the environment in which she created her art. You can watch the museum performance called “Feet, what do I need them for, if I have wings to fly,” a famous quote by Frida Kahlo brought to life by the Luna de Plata Theatre Association. Lastly, if you are not visiting the museum with a guide, you can pay for a video guide for 80 pesos ($4.78 USD). Frida Kahlo Museum offers free entrance to children ages 8 and below, persons with a disability, and even people who want to see the museum but don’t have money to pay as long as they request it in advance.
The museum has a limited capacity, so purchase your tickets at least 1-3 months in advance. This exhibition presents objects from the Casa Azul—drawings, photographs, corsets, accessories, garments—that spotlight Frida’s creative diversity. Together with her work, these intimate belongings express the profound relationship that Kahlo had with politics, gender issues, disability, and national identity. “And a dream come true,” Guevara captioned a photo of her with Madonna on Instagram. The second guest was Cuban actor Alberto Guerra, who lives in Mexico.
A tour of Frida Kahlo's house, Casa Azul (VIDEO). - Slate
A tour of Frida Kahlo's house, Casa Azul (VIDEO)..
Posted: Fri, 12 Aug 2016 07:00:00 GMT [source]
How to Visit the Blue House Today
The Blue House Museum is nothing short of a testament of a women and a man who had passion for their culture, country, neighborhood and art. When you first step foot in the house the room with a mirror on the ceiling captures your immediate attention. There are portraits at the foot of her bed that she drew while on bed rest for nine months after a terrible bus accident. This horrific accident in her life is what started Frida’s creative artistic passion. Despite her downfall, she made something beautiful out of her physical despair. Diego was aware of the high medical bills placed on their family after the accident.
Coyoacan is a peaceful and safe place to cycle, with some lovely parks and green areas too. Although Kahlo was born in Mexico City, she was enamored by the clothing worn by strong Tehuana women. Some of the most important items and exhibits that you should look out for during your visit are detailed below. If you want to take photos inside, you need to pay an additional photography fee of 30 pesos. Frida started identifying clothes as tools to create her own identity and conceal her physical imperfections at a very early age.
Accidental Discoveries
But Frida and Diego’s love for their culture didn’t just lie within the home, though this is the last remnant of the couple. Frida and Diego both dedicated their works and left them sealed up in their rooms for fifteen years after their death. Some of these documents revealed the meanings and hidden clues of some of Frida’s works.
A stepped pyramid opposite the viewer resembles a Mayan pyramid, and pre-contact art is distributed throughout the museum. Inside, viewers can slowly stroll through galleries with brilliant yellow floors. On the walls hang works by Kahlo and Rivera, including Frida and the Caesarian Operation (1931) and Long Live Life (1954). After Kahlo’s death in 1954, Rivera worked on turning the Blue House into a museum to honor Kahlo’s memory and showcase her work.
Their bright colors and popular flavor served as models and inspiration for some of Frida’s works. Frida and Diego wanted to leave her house as a museum for all Mexicans to enjoy. At her death, the couple’s friend, museographer and poet Carlos Pellicer did the exhibition design. Its administration was assigned to a trust, the Fideicomiso de los Museos Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, under the central bank, Banco de México, and constituted by Rivera himself in 1957. She spent most of her life here, first with her family and, years later, at Diego Rivera’s side. They hosted a fascinating array of luminaries from Mexico and abroad, drawn by the charisma of both artists.
Kahlo is able to come back to Earth to spend a final moment with Rivera before he himself passes away. There the tub that appears in the painting “Lo que el agua me dio/What the water gave me” (1938) remains intact, where Frida painted a portrait of her feet from the bathtub. The popularity of the Frida Kahlo Museum doesn’t just have an impact on your ability to buy tickets; it can also have a fairly significant impact on your enjoyment. The death mask laid upon the small four-poster bed, and her ashes sat atop the dresser, are sombre reminders of Frida’s fragile humanity, even though she now feels like such a timeless icon. As we travel with a professional camera set-up we were expecting this - what we didn’t expect however is that even if you wish to take photos with your phone in the Frida Kahlo museum, you’ll still need to buy one. As is surprisingly common across many museums in Mexico City, you are required to buy a specific permit if you’d like to take photos (without flash).
