Shortly after Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo were married they went to the United States where they stayed for three years while Diego painted murals in San Francisco, Detroit, and New York. While they were away they asked their friend, architect and artist Juan O'Gorman, to design and build a home for them in Mexico City where they would live on their return to Mexico.
The home is in fact two separate buildings, a smaller blue one for Frida and a larger white and terracotta-colored one for Diego.
The two houses are connected by a foot bridge on
the roof terrace. The buildings are boxy, with a spiral staircase on the
outside of the larger building. Floor to ceiling windows provide ample
light into the studio areas of each of the houses. The home is
surrounded by a cactus fence.
In the design of the artists' home, O'Gorman drew on the functionalist principles
in architecture, which state that the form of a building should be
determined by practical considerations, a strong shift from previous
architectural styles.
In Functionalism, no effort is made to mask the
practical, necessary aspects of the construction: plumbing and
electricity features are visible. The home differs greatly from the
surrounding buildings, and at the time was considered an affront to the
upper class sensibilities of the San Angel neighborhood in which it was
located.
Frida and Diego lived here from 1934 to 1939 (except for a
time when they separated and Frida took a separate apartment in the
center of the city). In 1939 they divorced and Frida went back to live
in La Casa Azul, her family home in Coyoacán.
They remarried the following year, and Diego joined Frida in the blue
house, but he maintained this building in San Angel Inn as his studio.
After Frida's death in 1954, Diego resumed living here full time except for when he was traveling. He died here in 1957.
Diego's
studio remains much as he left it: visitors can see his paints, his
desk, a small part of his collection of Pre-Hispanic pieces (the
majority are in the Anahuacalli museum), and a few of his works, including a portrait of Dolores Del Rio.
Frida and Diego liked to collect large Judas figures which were originally made to be burned in traditional Easter week festivities. Several of these Judas figures populate Diego's studio.
Frida's
house has few of her possessions, as she took them to La Casa Azul when
she moved out. Her admirers will be interested in seeing her bathroom
and bathtub. A print of her painting "What the Water Gave Me" is on the
wall as this is most likely where she got the inspiration for the
painting. While living here she also painted "Roots" and "The Deceased
Dimas". Frida Kahlo fans will no doubt be surprised to see the house's
tiny kitchen. It is difficult to imagine Frida and her helpers preparing
the dishes that she, Diego, and their frequent house guests enjoyed in
such a tiny space.Location and how to get there:
The museum s located in the San Angel Inn area of Mexico City on the corner of Altavista and Diego Rivera (formerly Palmera) streets, across from San Angel Inn restaurant. To get there you can take the metro to Miguel Angel de Quevedo station and from there you can take a microbus to Altavista, or just grab a taxi.
Hours and admission:
The Casa Estudio Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo is open every day of the week except Monday. Admission is 14 pesos, and free on Sundays. If you would like to take photos inside the museum you need to purchase a permission which costs 30 pesos.
Contact information:
Website: estudiodiegoriver.bellasartes.gob.mx
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Address: Avenida Diego Rivera #2, Col. San Angel Inn, Del. Álvaro Obregón, México, D.F.
Phone: +52 (55) 8647 5470
EmoticonEmoticon