The History Of Museo Frida Kahlo In 1 Minute

Museo Frida Kahlo was once the permanent residence of Mexico’s most famed artist and pop culture icon, Frida Kahlo. Home to numerous Kahlo artworks as well as pieces by her husband, Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, the building colloquially known as La Casa Azul (The Blue House) is now one of the most-visited and important museums in Mexico City.

Experience Kahlo’s colourful paintings up close with Culture Trip’s five-day Mexico City tour which includes a visit to Casa Azul, where she lived.

The Frida Kahlo Museum is home to original pieces by the famed Mexican painter

It seems appropriate that Frida Kahlo resided here in the Colonia del Carmen area of Coyoacán, given the intellectual and artistic reputation of the neighborhood, which was also home to Octavio Paz and Hollywood star Dolores del Río during the 1920s. La Casa Azul, constructed in 1904 by Kahlo’s German father Wilhelm, has a colonial layout and plain outer facades that were once more decoratively French in appearance. The central courtyard, now dominated by cacti, statues, lush greenery and the odd cat, is contained fully by the walls of the house. This was not always the case – Rivera built the fourth enclosing wall of the courtyard from volcanic rock.

Kahlo worked and lived in ‘La Casa Azul’

Mexican icon Kahlo is known for her self portraits, including her 1945 piece ‘Sin Esperanza’ (Without Hope)

In 1958, Rivera donated the home and everything inside it, converting it into the Museo Frida Kahlo we see today. The house remains in almost exactly the same state and layout as it was left at around the time of Frida’s death in 1954. Some of the items on display across the house’s 10 rooms include her artworks, such as Viva la Vida, Frida y la Césarea and Retrato de mi Familia, as well as photographs of her, pieces by Rivera and some of their vast collection of Mexican folk art and pre-Hispanic artifacts. Jewelry and her trademark Tehuana-style dresses are also on display, along with personal correspondence and artworks by José María Velasco and Celia Calderón Orozco. With a monthly tally of around 25,000 visitors, it is Coyoacán’s most visited and iconic destinations – making it a key landmark for those coming to Mexico City.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.