🎨Mexico City: Visiting the Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul)
The Frida Kahlo Museum (Museo Frida Kahlo) is one of Mexico City’s most popular tourist attractions. So, you need to plan ahead to see it. Here’s what to know.
The first time we visited the Frida Kahlo Museum, back in 2021, We were lucky(ish). People were just starting to get back into traveling post-Covid, and Mexico City didn’t have quite the influx of visitors it has today.
The good news: We could book tickets to the Frida Kahlo Museum just a couple of days in advance.
The not-so-good news: We had to walk through the museum single-file, six feet behind the person in front of us, effectively making our way through the museum at the pace of the slowest person in line.
Luckily, today you can see the museum at your own pace. But you need to make sure you buy your tickets in advance.
🎨 Who was Frida Kahlo?
Kahlo was a Mexican artist born in 1907. After a streetcar accident left her seriously injured in 1925, her parents gave her art supplies and a special easel so she could paint in bed while she recovered. She painted her first self-portrait in 1926, and her career as an artist began.
Kahlo lived with her husband, famous Mexican artist and muralist Diego Rivera, in Casa Azul, and she created a lot of her art within its walls.
Her reputation grew over time, and she became even more famous after her death in 1954.
The museum’s website highlights key moments in Kahlo’s life and work.
You might also want to watch the acclaimed 2002 movie Frida, which starred Salma Hayek as Kahlo.
🖼️ What do you see at the museum?
The exterior of the museum is painted a stunning blue—you’ll probably recognize it from photos. That’s where you’ll line up in front of it at your scheduled entrance time.
Kahlo and Rivera intended the home to become a museum after her death, and Casa Azul opened in 1958. Once you get inside, you’ll see:
Personal items, photos, books, documents, and furnishings, including the bed where Kahlo started painting while recovering from her accident
Paintings by Kahlo and Rivera
Folk art and sculptures that Kahlo placed around the home
The courtyard garden
