Frida Kahlo Museum (The Blue House)

About this place

The house where the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo was born, grew up, lived for years with her husband, the painter Diego Rivera, and died in her upstairs room. It is known as the «Blue House» for its walls painted a vivid cobalt blue, and Rivera gave it in 1957 to become a museum in her name. The rooms remain as they were in the 1950s: the studio with her easel and wheelchair, the kitchen with its colourful clay pots, the bedroom, and the couple's collection of Mexican folk art and archaeological pieces. The house also holds paintings by Frida and Rivera, photographs and letters. A separate section shows Frida's clothes and medical aids: the traditional Tehuantepec dresses that became part of her image, and the corsets she wore after an accident in her youth. The inner garden, with its plants and small pyramids, is a quiet place to rest. Tickets are sold only through the official website in timed slots and sell out weeks ahead, so book early. The Coyoacán neighbourhood around it is lovely to wander, with its squares and markets.