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54-609: The Frida Kahlo Museum (Spanish: Museo Frida Kahlo ), also known as the Blue House ( La Casa Azul ) for the structure's cobalt-blue walls, is a historic house museum and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo . It is located in the Colonia del Carmen neighborhood of Coyoacán in Mexico City. The building was Kahlo's birthplace, the home where she grew up, lived with her husband Diego Rivera for

108-607: A Guggenheim Fellow with Rosa whose photography would become part of Miguel's book, Island of Bali . The book and particularly the marketing for months surrounding its release, contributed to the 1930s Bali craze in New York. He also spent time in China, where his work was very influential among artists in Shanghai. Rosa and Miguel returned to live in Mexico City where he continued to paint, illustrate, and write. Their home, Tizapán, would become

162-524: A US$ 5.6 million auction record for a Latin American work. The popularity of Frida affected the museum. It closed for a time in the early 1990s, then reopened in 1993, with the addition of a gift shop and restaurant/café. Today, the museum is the most-visited in Coyoacán and one of the most visited in Mexico City. Restoration work was performed on the building and some of its contents in 2009 and 2010. The work

216-567: A hub for visitors from around the world including the likes of Nickolas Muray , Dolores del Río , and Nelson Rockefeller . He taught ethnology at the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia and was appointed artistic director and director of administration for a new department at the Palacio de Bellas Artes , the National Palace of Fine Arts. His mandate was to add an Academy of Dance -

270-401: A large collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts, traditional Mexican cookware, linens, personal mementos such as photographs, postcards and letters, and works by José María Velasco , Paul Klee , and Diego Rivera. Much of the collection is in display cases designed for their preservation. The museum also contains a café and a small gift shop. The museum consists of ten rooms. On the ground floor is

324-413: A long yellow table, where Frida's stepdaughter Ruth stated that Frida spent much of her time. The two rooms are filled with large earthenware pots, plates, utensils, glassware, and more which came from Metepec , Oaxaca , Tlaquepaque , and Guanajuato , all known for their handcrafted items. Decorative features include papier-mâché Judas skeletons hanging from its ceiling, and walls with tiny pots spelling

378-490: A los enfermos , Frida y la cesárea , Naturaleza muerta con bandera , Retrato de Marta Procel , Retrato de mi familia , Retrato de mi padre Wilhelm Kahlo and Los hornos de ladrillos as well as La quebrada and Paisaje urbano by Rivera, Retrato del niño Don Antonio Villaseñor and Retrato de niño muerto by unknown author, Composición by Wolfgang Paalenk, and Retrato de Diego Rivera by Leopold Gottlieb , along with an archive of 6,500 photographs of Kahlo, Rivera with

432-457: A new era in contemporary Mexican dance. In 1952, Covarrubias had completely separated from Rolanda in pursuit of one of his students, Rocío Sagaón. He married Sagaón in a Catholic ceremony. Covarrubias died on 5 February 1957 in Mexico City from sepsis , most likely a complication of his surgery after suffering from an ulcer. Covarrubias' style was highly influential in America, especially in

486-449: A number of years, and where she later died in a room on the upper floor. In 1957, Diego Rivera donated the home and its contents to turn it into a museum in Frida's honor. The museum contains a collection of artwork by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other artists along with the couple's Mexican folk art , pre-Hispanic artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, personal items, and more. The collection

540-722: A room that contains some of Kahlo's mostly minor works such as Frida y la cesárea , 1907–1954, Retrato de familia , 1934, Ruina , 1947, Retrato de Guillermo Kahlo , 1952, El marxismo dará salud , 1954 (showing Frida throwing away her crutches), with a watercolor Diario de Frida in the center. This room originally was the formal living room, where Frida and Diego entertained notable Mexican and international visitors and friends such as Sergei Eisenstein , Nelson Rockefeller , George Gershwin , caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias , and actresses Dolores del Río and María Félix . The second and third rooms are dedicated to personal effects and mementos and to some of Rivera's works. The second room

594-614: A sculpture by Mardonio Magaña. The fifth room contains two large Judas figures, "mujeres bonitos" figures from Tlatilco , State of Mexico and figures from the Teotihuacan culture. The large papier-mâché Judas figures and other papier-mâché monsters were traditionally filled with firecrackers and exploded on the Saturday before Easter. The sixth and seventh rooms are the kitchen and dining room. Both are in classic Mexican style, with bright yellow tile floors, blue and yellow tile counters and

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648-487: A stepped pyramid, a fountain, and a reflection pool. These were built in the 1940s when Rivera first moved into the house and built the fourth wing enclosing the house. This wing's walls which face the courtyard are decorated with marine shells and mirrors. There are also sculptures by Mexican artist Mardonio Magaña. One side of the courtyard contains the inscription "Frida y Diego / vivieron en / esta casa / 1929–1954" (Frida and Diego lived in this house – 1929–1954). The house

702-576: A stone wall divides the patio area in two, in front of which is a fountain, a stepped pyramid, a reflection pool and a room for the couple's archeological collection. The exterior was also changed from the original French style to the one seen today. The redesign work on the house was done by Juan O’Gorman in 1946. As the couple's home, the house continued to receive distinguished visitors from both Mexico and abroad, including Fritz Henle , Concha Michel , Dolores del Río, María Félix, Lucha Reyes and Chavela Vargas . In 1943, Frida became an instructor for

756-652: A strong case that the Olmec predated the Classic Era years before this was confirmed by archaeology. In his thesis on a final cultural battle between Olmecs and Maya, he was encouraged by his friend, the Austrian Surrealist and ethnological philosopher Wolfgang Paalen , who even went so far as to describe the conflict as one of ancient matriarchal culture with new patriarchal orientations in Maya culture with its dominant adoration of

810-478: A task to which Rosa with her dance and choreography background was most valuable. Miguel recruited friend and dancer José Limón who brought his dance company from New York City for the inaugural season in 1950, taught at Bellas Artes, and helped arrange for international exposure of this new Mexican modern dance company. During Miguel's tenure, traditional Mexican dance was not only researched, documented, and preserved but this research into its roots, helped usher in

864-445: Is a painted plaster corset she was forced to wear to support her damaged spine, and under the canopy is a mirror facing down which she used to paint her many self-portraits. The head of the bed contains the painting of a dead child, and the foot contains a photo montage of Joseph Stalin , Vladimir Lenin , Karl Marx , Friedrich Engels , and Mao Zedong . The pillow is embroidered with the words "Do not forget me, my love." Her wheelchair

918-480: Is displayed in the rooms of the house which remains much as it was in the 1950s. It is the most popular museum in Coyoacán and one of the most visited in Mexico City. The house/museum is located in Colonia del Carmen area of the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City. Coyoacán, especially the Colonia del Carmen area, has had an intellectual and vanguard reputation since the 1920s, when it was the home of Salvador Novo , Octavio Paz , Mario Moreno and Dolores del Río . Today,

972-561: Is drawn up to an unfinished portrait of Stalin, on an easel which is said was given to her by Nelson Rockefeller. Stalin became a hero to Kahlo after the Red Army victory over Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front in World War II . The tour of the museum ends at the large courtyard garden which is completely enclosed by the four sides or wings of the structure. The courtyard area is divided by

1026-556: Is filled with everyday items Frida used, letters, photographs, and notes. On the walls are pre-Hispanic necklaces and folk dresses, especially the Tehuana-style ones that were Frida's trademark. Paintings in the third room include Retrato de Carmen Portes Gil , 1921, Ofrenda del día de muertos , 1943, and Mujer con cuerpo de guitarra , 1916. The fourth room contains contemporary paintings by artists such as Paul Klee , José María Velasco , Joaquín Clausel , Celia Calderón Orozco , and

1080-583: The Escuela de Pintura al Aire Libre in Coyoacán, inspired by the murals done by Juan O’Gorman at the Ciudad Universitaria . Originally the house was the family home of Frida Kahlo, but since 1958, it has served as museum dedicated to her life and work. With about 25,000 visitors monthly, it is one of Mexico City's most-visited museums, and the most-visited site in Coyoacán. The museum is supported solely by ticket sales and donations. The museum demonstrates

1134-554: The Mexican Revolution , her mother would open the windows of this house to donate supplies to the Zapata army when it was in the area in 1913. She also spent large amount of time in the house convalescing, first in 1918 when she was struck with polio which would leave one leg shorter than the other. When she was 18, a trolley accident left her badly mangled. She spent about two years confined to her bed in casts and orthopedic devices. It

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1188-610: The de Young Museum in San Francisco. "The colorful map depicts the four Pacific Rim continents with examples of their flora and fauna suspended in a swirling Pacific Ocean populated with sea creatures." Miguel and Rosa married in 1930 and they took an extended honeymoon to Bali with the National Art Directors' Medal prize money where they immersed themselves in the local culture, language, and customs. Miguel returned to Southeast Asia (Java, Bali, India, Vietnam) in 1933, as

1242-582: The 1920s and 1930s, and his artwork and caricatures of influential politicians and artists were featured on the covers of The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. Covarrubias is also known for his analysis of the pre-Columbian art of Mesoamerica , particularly that of the Olmec culture, and his theory of Mexican cultural diffusion to the north, particularly to the Mississippian Native American Indian cultures. His analysis of iconography presented

1296-417: The 20th century, other colonial era work, and more Judas figures. The two rooms of the upper floor which are open to the public contain Frida's final bedroom and studio area. This is located in the wing that Rivera had built. The original furniture is still there. In one corner, her ashes are on display in an urn, which is surrounded by a funeral mask, some personal items, and mirrors on the ceiling. On her bed

1350-574: The Escuela de Pintura y Escultura de La Esmeralda, but her physical condition required her to mostly give classes at her home. These students eventually numbered only four and were called "Los fridos": Fanny Rabel, Guillermo Monroy, Arturo "el Güero" Estrada and Arturo García Bustos, who mostly worked and trained in the patio area. Starting in 1945, Frida was once again confined to bed in the house. From then to 1947, she painted works such as Flor de la vida , in 1945 and El sol de la vida in 1947. Frida died on

1404-679: The GGIE and were later exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Upon returning to San Francisco, five of the murals were installed at the World Trade Club in the Ferry Building where they hung until 2001. The whereabouts of the sixth mural, Art and Culture, is unknown and has been the subject of great speculation." The Fauna and Flora of the Pacific mural is on display at

1458-533: The Garrick Gaities' Rancho Mexicano number for dancer and choreographer Rosa Rolando (or Rolanda; born Rosemonde Cowan, and later to take the name Rosa Covarrubias). The two fell in love and traveled together to Mexico, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean in the mid to late 1920s. During one of their trips to Mexico, Rosa and Miguel travelled with Tina Modotti and Edward Weston , who taught Rosa photography. Rosa

1512-580: The Smart Set ). Soon Covarrubias was drawing for several top magazines, eventually becoming one of Vanity Fair magazine's premier caricaturists. A man of many talents, he also began to design sets and costumes for the theater including Caroline Dudley Reagan 's La Revue Negre starring Josephine Baker in the show that made her a smash in Paris. Other shows included Androcles and the Lion , The Four Over Thebes , and

1566-456: The United States as well as awards such as the 1929 National Art Directors' Medal for painting in color for his work on a Steinway & Sons piano advertisement. Covarrubias was invited by the 1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) that was held on Treasure Island , "to create a mural set entitled Pageant of the Pacific to be the centerpiece of Pacific House, a center where

1620-448: The area is home of a number of the borough's museums. The house itself is located on the corner of Londres and Allende Streets, and it stands out for its cobalt-blue walls, giving it the name La Casa Azul (The Blue House). Like most of the other structures in the area, the house is built around a central courtyard with garden space, a tradition since colonial times. Originally, the house enclosed only three sides of this courtyard, but later

1674-685: The blue color was due to a previously unidentified metal, cobalt. The first recorded use of cobalt blue as a color name in English was in 1777. It was independently discovered as an alumina-based pigment by Louis Jacques Thénard in 1802. Commercial production began in France in 1807. The leading world manufacturer of cobalt blue in the nineteenth century was Benjamin Wegner 's Norwegian company Blaafarveværket (" blue colour works " in Dano-Norwegian). Germany also

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1728-443: The compound concerns inclusions in sapphires from a single site. Miguel Covarrubias Miguel Covarrubias , also known as José Miguel Covarrubias Duclaud (22 November 1904 — 4 February 1957) was a Mexican painter , caricaturist , illustrator , ethnologist and art historian . Along with his American colleague Matthew W. Stirling , he was the co-discoverer of the Olmec civilization. José Miguel Covarrubias Duclaud

1782-545: The exterior of the house was decorated in a French-inspired motif, which was popular in Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Frida Kahlo was born in this house in 1907, and it remained her family home throughout her life. She spent her last thirteen years of it here as well. Frida was the daughter of Wilhelm (Guillermo) Kahlo , who immigrated from Europe to Mexico and native Mexican Matilde Calderón y González. Frida spent her childhood in this house. She stated that during

1836-432: The fourth side was added to enclose it entirely. The house covers 800m and the central courtyard is another 400m. As it was built in 1904, it originally had French-style decorative features but later it was changed to the plainer façade seen today. The building has two floors with various bedrooms, studio space, a large kitchen and dining room. The entrance hall was decorated by a mosaic in natural stone by Mardonio Magaña of

1890-549: The friends, family and colleagues done by Nickolas Muray , Martin Munkácsi , Fritz Henle and Gisele Freund . The conservation work only covers about 35 percent of the total collection. Cobalt blue Ores containing cobalt have been used since antiquity as pigments to give a blue color to porcelain and glass. Cobalt blue in impure forms had long been used in Chinese porcelain . In 1742, Swedish chemist Georg Brandt showed that

1944-654: The house continued to be a meeting place for intellectuals, especially those associated with Communism . In April 1939, Trotsky and Sedova left the Blue House after Trotsky had a falling out with Rivera over ideology and Rivera's criticism of Trotsky's writings, moving to a nearby house on Viena Street. Rivera and Kahlo divorced in November 1939. However, the couple did not break all contact, and they remarried in December 1940. In 1941, just before Frida's father's death, Rivera moved into

1998-813: The house one of the area's meeting places. After marrying Rivera, Frida moved from her childhood home to an apartment on Paseo de la Reforma , but Rivera paid off the family's mortgage on the Casa Azul. For most of the 1930s, Frida lived in other places in Mexico City or abroad, but visited her family in the home frequently and it appears in a painting done in 1936 called Mis abuelos, mis padres y yo also called Arbol genealógico . Because of intervention by Kahlo and Rivera, Russian Leon Trotsky obtained asylum in Mexico. Trotsky and his wife, Natalia Sedova , were first housed in La Casa Azul starting in January 1937. The windows facing

2052-455: The house, although he maintained another residence in San Angel. During this time, Rivera constructed the wing which faces Londres Street and encloses the courtyard completely. This section was built of local volcanic rock with ceramic vases set into it. A terraced roof was built, decorated with marine shells and a mirror. Here Frida's studio and bedroom was moved. To separate the new from the old,

2106-640: The jazz clubs were the first of their kind printed in Vanity Fair . He managed to capture the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance in much of his work as well as in his book, Negro Drawings. He did not consider these caricatures, but serious drawings of people, music, and a culture he loved. Covarrubias also did illustrations for George Macy, the publisher of The Limited Editions Club, including Uncle Tom's Cabin , Green Mansions , Herman Melville 's Typee , and Pearl Buck 's All Men Are Brothers . Heritage Press,

2160-434: The late 19th century, a number of Mexico City's wealthy had built country homes in the area, often imitating the colonial designs of the past. Colonia del Carmen became popular with artists and intellectuals starting around the 1920s, due to the promotion of it by Francisco Sosa and the establishment of the Escuela de Pintura al Aire Libre (Open Air School of Painting) at the former San Pedro Mártir Hacienda in 1923. Originally,

2214-404: The lifestyle of wealthy Mexican bohemian artists and intellectuals during the first half of the 20th century. The entrance ticket to the Casa Azul allows for free entrance into the nearby Anahuacalli Museum , which was also established by Diego Rivera. According to records and testimony, the house today looks much as it did in 1951, decorated with Mexican folk art, Kahlo's personal art collection,

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2268-399: The names of Frida and Diego next to a pair of doves tying a lovers’ knot. Off the dining room was Rivera's bedroom, with his hat, jacket, and work clothes still hanging from a wall rack. Next to this is a stairwell that leads from the courtyard area to the upper floor. This area also contains a large number of folk art items and includes about 2,000 votive paintings from the colonial period to

2322-620: The sister organization of The Limited Editions Club, reprinted unsigned editions. In addition, he did illustrations for publisher Alfred & Charles Boni's Frankie and Johnny for a young writer who would become a good friend and film director named John Huston . Today, these editions are highly sought after by collectors. He collaborated with Austrian Artist Wolfgang Paalen 's journal Dyn from 1942 to 1944. Additionally, his advertising, painting, and illustration work brought him international recognition including gallery shows in Europe, Mexico, and

2376-509: The social, cultural and scientific interests of the countries in the Pacific Area could be shown to a large audience.'" Covarrubias painted the six murals for GGIE in San Francisco with his assistant Antonio M. Ruiz . The set of murals featured oversized, "illustrated maps entitled: The Fauna and Flora of the Pacific, Peoples, Art and Culture, Economy, Native Dwellings, and Native Means of Transportation. These murals were immensely popular at

2430-464: The street were closed in with adobe bricks for Trotsky's safety as he was under a death sentence from Stalin. A high wall was built between this house and the adjoining one as well. From January 1937 to April 1939, Trotsky lived and worked here, writing treatises such as Su moral y la nuestra and his regular political articles. This would often cause security problems in the area, due to the hostility of Trotsky's political enemies. During all of this time,

2484-405: The upper floor of this house on 13 July 1954 at the age of 47. Her wake took place here before the body was taken to the Palacio de Bellas Artes then cremated. Four years after her death, in 1958, Rivera donated the house to the nation of Mexico and set up a foundation for its preservation. The house was converted to a museum dedicated to the life and works of Kahlo. The first director of the museum

2538-456: Was Carlos Pellicer with the mandate to keep the house as it was. The museum was relatively obscure for many years as Frida Kahlo was little known beyond the art world until the 1990s. In the 1980s, a movement called Neomexicanismo promoted her and her work. Since that time, she has become a cult icon, with images of her appearing on many pop culture items, and many of her works now command high prices. In 2006, Kahlo's 1943 painting Roots set

2592-466: Was a hit, though not all his subjects were thrilled that his sharp, pointed wit was aimed at them. He immediately fell in love with the Harlem jazz scene, which he frequented with Rosa and friends including Eugene O'Neill and Nickolas Muray . He counted many notables among his friends including Zora Neale Hurston , Langston Hughes , and W.C. Handy for whom he also illustrated books. Miguel's caricatures of

2646-538: Was also introduced to Miguel's family and friends including artist Diego Rivera . Rosa would become lifelong friends with Rivera's third wife, the artist Frida Kahlo . Miguel's artwork and celebrity caricatures have been featured in The New Yorker and Vanity Fair magazines. The linear nature of his drawing style was highly influential to other caricaturists such as Al Hirschfeld . Miguel's first book of caricatures The Prince of Wales and Other Famous Americans

2700-964: Was born on 22 November 1904 in Mexico City . After graduating from the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria at the age of 14, he started producing caricatures and illustrations for texts and training materials published by the Mexican Ministry of Public Education. He also worked for the Ministry of Communications. In 1923, at the age of 19, he moved to New York City armed with a grant from the Mexican government, tremendous talent, but very little English. In her book Covarrubias , author Adriana Williams writes that Mexican poet José Juan Tablada and New York Times critic/photographer Carl Van Vechten introduced him to New York's literary/cultural elite (known as

2754-580: Was constructed in 1904 in Colonia Del Carmen in Coyoacán, which was established on lands that belonged to the former Hacienda del Carmen, a property of the Carmelites in the colonial period. At that time and during the first half of the 20th century, Coyoacán was officially part of the Federal District of Mexico City, but was still relatively rural and separate from Mexico City's urban sprawl . Since

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2808-563: Was famous for production of it, especially the blue colour works ( Blaufarbenwerke ) in the Ore Mountains of Saxony . Cobalt glass is used decoratively, and also as an optical filter to remove or hide certain visible colors. Art Automobiles Construction Sports Vexillology Video games Cobalt blue is toxic when ingested or inhaled. Its use requires appropriate precautions to avoid internal contamination and to prevent cobalt poisoning . A single record of

2862-471: Was sponsored in part by the German government, which donated 60,000 euros for the effort, and in part by the museum itself, which contributed one million pesos. The effort concentrates on obtaining furniture for display and preservation, other equipment, roof work, and restoration of items in the collection. Restoration includes most of the paintings in the collection, including Viva la vida , El marxismo dará salud

2916-488: Was then she began to paint as a way to pass the time. One of the works from this time has Frida on what appears to be a stretcher, her body bandaged and located to the side of this house. Frida met Diego Rivera while he was painting murals at the Secretaria de Educacion Publica building and invited him to the Casa Azul to see her work. Rivera soon began to be a regular visitor to the house. Other notable artists followed, making

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