¡Viva! ¡Frida!
We spent one day focused on all things closely connected with Frida.
We actually began Frida Day at Trotsky’s casa. We entered via a newer museo that leads to Trotsky’s charming garden. It is still plainly visible that both garden and casa were guarded, but failed to save him from assassination. The interior featured bullet holes, purportedly evidence from the first attempt by Siqueirous.
Key elements of Frida’s last Blue Casa remain intact. Along with artworks and clothes, an extensive collection of medications and the corsets are exhibited in the gallery. The kitchen appears as it does in photographs with Frida. The studio, with its meticulous material cupboard, leads to a bedroom with the mirror bed. Her death mask is placed on its pillow.
With the same ticket we went to Diego’s Anahuacalli. Purpose built to house his pre-hispanic objects, the architecture was intense. Built entirely of volcanic stone, it has a series of interesting crypt like spaces.
Unfortunately, at the pink + blue Double House, Frida’s blue casa was closed in preparation for an exhibition. So we made do with Diego’s, which seems more familiar from images including the movie etc. A number of ‘The Frog’s’ hotel keys are still on his bedside table.
Both houses sit atop pillotis in the manner of Le Corbusier (or a Queenslander). This maximises the ground space for use, but affords little of the privacy or defended territory of traditional courtyard gardens. We want a cactus fence!
The exhibition I never curated 