Frida Kahlo's family has announced the opening of Museo Casa Kahlo, also known as Casa Roja, on September 27 in Coyoacán, Mexico City, near the iconic Casa Azul. The museum, run by Kahlo's descendants for the first time, will display personal objects, documents, and photographs from the artist's childhood, including dolls, clothing, letters, cross-stitch work from age five, her first oil painting, and a recently discovered mural. The property belonged to Kahlo's parents and later her sister Cristina, and has been preserved by the family for decades. The museum will be led by Adán García Fajardo and overseen by the newly founded Fundación Kahlo, a New York-based non-profit.
The new museum strengthens Coyoacán's status as a premier destination for Kahlo tourism and underscores the artist's enduring global appeal, which has only grown since the 'Fridamania' trend of the 1990s. By focusing on Kahlo's formative years, Casa Roja offers a more intimate understanding of her life and work, complementing Casa Azul's focus on her adult years. The opening also highlights the rise of privately owned cultural spaces in Mexico City and comes amid controversy at Casa Azul, where the former director claims some of Kahlo's works are missing, raising questions about Mexican heritage preservation.