Over 350 Mexican cultural professionals have signed an open letter demanding greater transparency from the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL) regarding the management and export of the Gelman Collection. The collection, recently acquired by the Zambrano family and rebranded as the Gelman Santander Collection, includes 18 works by Frida Kahlo and other major 20th-century Mexican artists, with 30 pieces designated as national artistic monuments requiring state oversight.
The controversy centers on export permits and the future display of these culturally significant works. Signatories, including prominent curators and artists, are not contesting the private ownership but seek guarantees that the collection will be prioritized for exhibition in Mexico, fearing that extended international loans could endanger Kahlo's legacy and violate heritage laws. The call for transparency follows fragmented information about the collection's future, including a planned five-year renewable loan for exhibition in Spain, which raises concerns about the strict legal protections afforded to Kahlo's paintings.