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The Day of the Dead cultural program in CDMX includes Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House Studio
28 October 2024
The program includes a visit to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House Studio, the first functionalist house ever built in Mexico by architect Juan O´Gorman (1905-1982).
An altar there will be dedicated to Frida Kahlo, who lived in this space between 1934 and 1939, and in the framework of her 70th death anniversary.
The historic San Angel neighborhood is well-known for its cobblestone streets and colonial architecture. Given the region's longstanding bourgeois tradition of summer villas designed in picturesque, neocolonial, and Beaux Arts styles, some people might be surprised to learn about this hidden gem.
O´Gorman had extensive knowledge about the architectural innovations of European avant-garde architects, especially Le Corbusier, who was a functionalist. O'Gorman adhered to this paradigm by using pilotis, steel, and glass. One notable example is the concrete helicoidal staircase on the upper floor, which called for a masterful application of geometry and technique. Additionally, exposed electrical and plumbing installations were used as part of an expressive architectural language. By reclaiming Mexican folk-art features like exposed clay paneled ceilings, vibrant exterior walls, and a cactus fence, the innovation enhanced the post-revolutionary era's dominant nationalist cosmopolitanism.
When he showed the home to his lifelong friends Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in 1931, the construction was finished. Rivera, who was also a communist, was captivated by the building's aesthetics because he admired Juan O'Gorman's ideas on working-class housing and socialized architecture. Although the project never materialized, we now know that he intended to use this building as a prototype for low-income families.
Thus, O´Gorman was hired by muralist Rivera to construct his home in the upper plot, at the intersection of Palmas Street and Altavista Avenue. He asked that there be both living quarters and a sizable workspace in the building.
The outcome was a three-building complex that included a primary workspace, Frida Kahlo's home, and a photographic lab for her father, Guillermo Kahlo, which was finished in 1932 while the couple was still in the United States. It had two entrances: one on Palmas Street, which leads straight to Rivera's atelier, and another on Altavista Avenue, which faces the living quarters.
This is where Diego Rivera lived from 1934 until his passing in 1957. Frida Kahlo preferred to live at her father's home in Coyoacan, and her stays were sporadic and varied.
Other info and drawing of the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House Studio at the link below.
Click here for the agenda of the Day of the Dead cultural program in CDMX.
