Did You Know About Mexicos Incredible House Museums

From Frida Kahlos love for Diego Rivera to the incredible collectibles and artifacts belonging to American artist Robert Brady, house museums in Mexico City are like time travel capsules through the lives of the literati
The Frida Kahlo Museum aka Blue House (La Casa Azul), a historic house and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist in Mexico City
The Frida Kahlo Museum aka Blue House (La Casa Azul), a historic house and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist in Mexico City
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4 min read

Getting a glimpse of the lives our favourite authors and artists is a guilty pleasure we crave - paying a visit to the courtyards where they spent their quality time or checking out the table in their study where they worked on their books, or the studios where masterpieces were created. Next time you are in Mexico City, you must add its beautifully kept 'house museums' to your itinerary. Here are some that we love.

Frida Kahlo

Sneaking into Frido Kahlo&rsquos bedroom, where her death mask still lies on the bed, telling you about her ordeal of suffering is an experinece for all fans of the artist. You can do that at the Casa Azul, where Kahlo lived in the 1940s-50s. The blue walls, and green courtyard, with vitrines of folkloric costumes, make Caza Azul the most famous house museum in Mexico City.

One cannot talk of Kahlo and leave out Diego Rivera. To understand the relationship between Rivera with his artwork, one must visit Museo Anahuacalli that was built by the Mexican-Irish architect Juan O&rsquoGorman. The building is known to be one of the first functionalist buildings in Latin America, which was constructed in the 20th century. Read about Rivera and then visit this place to experience the personification of his ego in this &lsquopyramid.&rsquo However, to witness a connection between Rivera and Kahlo, visit the  Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House-Studio Museum. Again a masterpiece by Juan O&rsquoGorman, the two separate studio houses are connected by a bridge where Rivera and Kahlo worked and lived. 

Leon Trotsky

Leon Trotsky, the revolutionary Russian leader who sought exile in Mexico, had lived in Casa Azul &nbspin the initial days of his refuge in Mexico. But when his affair with Kahlo caused a split between Rivera and Kahlo, he moved to his house which has been turned into a museum house. Leon Trotsky Museum has its facade painted in red, depicting his socialist inclinations. One can easily get a sense of Trotsky&rsquos life in Mexico by looking at the books that he read, or strolling in the courtyard where once he must have enjoyed his evenings. However, it is eerie to look at the walls where the bullet marks are still visible, narrating failed assassination attempts, and visit his study where he was finally killed in 1940 with an ice-axe.

Emilio&nbspFern&aacutendez

How exciting will it be to walk in the corridors of a house where Marilyn Monroe must have walked and partied Mexican movie star Emilio Fern&aacutendez&rsquos (Indio) house museum Casa del Emilio Fern&aacutendez is situated in a peaceful corner of Coyoac&aacuten, which is worth a visit during the time of Mexican festivities like the Day of the Dead. The work of the architect Manuel Parra elevates the spaces with Baptismal fonts and religious statues. The house with a smooth-rough texture because of the usage of volcanic rocks in construction was built in 1947. The extravagant public rooms of Fernandez&rsquos house will surely make you feel like his guest of honour, where you witness his love for his three wives as their enormous photos hang down the walls.

Dolores Olmedo

Boasting luxury with art pieces made of tin, wood, lacquer, papier-m&acircché, and ceramic is the Dolores Olmedo Museum. This was home to an art lover and businesswoman named Dolores Olmedo until 1994 when she converted her home into a museum before she died. The hacienda-style architecture houses the works of Rivera and Kahlo, along with mesoamerican sculptures and figurines. To experience this vintage luxury, you must visit the neighbourhood of Xochimilco, the southern part of Mexico City.

Robert Brady

Moving towards the outskirts of Mexico City, you will find a house in Cuernavaca, which is an ode to Mexico&rsquos culture, collectibles and artifacts from across the world, all carefully cherished by the American artist Robert Brady who he died in 1986. His delightful Mexican house was once a 16th-century monastery named Recinto de la Catedral. The house is a reflection of Brady himself, with vibrantly coloured walls, antique art pieces, and carvings depicting folk art and artistic works by the painter himself.

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