
Mexico City to Welcome a New Frida Kahlo Museum
The museum, designed in part by Rockwell Group, will be located at Casa Roja, a private residence purchased by Frida Kahlo's parents and handed down to Frida and her sisters. It was ultimately given to the museum by Mara Romeo Kahlo, the artist's grandniece, her closest living relative and heir.
'Everyone knows Frida the artist,' Romeo said in an interview on Wednesday, but not 'the human being, my aunt. The family was very important for Frida because it was her support.'
Casa Roja became the home of Frida's sister Christina, who then handed it down to her daughter Isolde, who then handed it down to her daughter Mara Romeo. It will be adjacent to the famed Casa Azul, the family home built by Kahlo's father, Guillermo, that is part of Museo Frida Kahlo and managed by a trust — Fideicomiso de los Museos Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo — administered by the central bank of Mexico.
While Casa Azul tells the story of her life with her husband, Diego Rivera, the new museum will focus on Kahlo's origin story, starting with her father and his photography career, which helped set Kahlo on her artistic path.
Adán García Fajardo, who is currently the academic director at the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City, will be director of the museum.
The creation of Museo Casa Kahlo is made possible in part by a newly formed nonprofit organization based in New York City, Fundación Kahlo, that was established by the Kahlo family to preserve the artist's legacy and promote Mexican, Indigenous, and Latin American art and culture.
The Foundation will oversee the development, opening, and stewardship of the museum, as well as programs on Kahlo's artistic legacy and values. Chaired by Rick Miramontez, the New York public relations veteran known for representing Broadway shows, the foundation plans on establishing the Kahlo Art Prize, a biennial award recognizing visionary contemporary artists, and Las Ayudas, a grant program.
'I'm Mexican American, so there is that big connection,' Miramontez said in a phone interview. 'When I met the family and heard their goals, I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be of service.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Eater
12 hours ago
- Eater
A Beloved Chinatown Space Is Reborn as a Mexico City-Inspired Cafe and Bar
As the sun sits high over Chinatown, the front foyer of Cafe Tondo is bathed in pink light, casting a warm glow on the well-worn concrete floors that were once the home of a tire shop. Opening on July 25, the Mexico City-inspired cafe and bar takes over the former Oriel under the A Line train tracks, bringing a new destination to the neighborhood for everything from early morning coffee and conchas to afternoon spritzes and salsa after dark. Cafe Tondo, which translates to circular in Spanish, comes from a collaboration between first-time restaurateur and Mouthwash Studios co-founder Abraham Campillo, Mike Kang of Locale Partners, and chef Valeria Velasquez. Drawing on his upbringing in Los Angeles's Mexican culture and memories of his mother's hospitality, Campillo set out to open Cafe Tondo as a place for the community to settle in, especially as he sees public spaces that encourage gathering slowly disappearing. 'As designers who often do digital things, we feel specifically within our community that algorithms are pushing us further [apart],' he says. Campillo saw those spaces, where friends could spend hours, slipping from espresso to wine without having to move locations, across Latin America and Europe, but felt like they were missing from Los Angeles. 'LA has the best weather,' he jokes, pointing to places like Canyon Coffee and Seco as in line with what he envisioned for Cafe Tondo. Sean Davidson Sean Davidson At Cafe Tondo, Velasquez explores dishes from Campillo's childhood, her upbringing in Bogota, and years living in Mexico City, starting with piloncillo and cinnamon-tinged cafe de olla and croissants in the morning, and then Milanesa at night. Before joining Cafe Tondo, she worked with 108 and Amass in Copenhagen, Café Altro Paradiso and Mattos Hospitality in New York, and Rosetta in Mexico City. 'It's like a celebration of Latino culture, especially Mexico City's vibrant culture,' Velasquez says of the menu. 'I am Colombian. I was born and raised there, but I now live in Mexico City. I've been [in Mexico City] since the pandemic started, and it's definitely shaped my style as a cook.' Cafe Tondo marks her first project as a head chef in the U.S. Starting at 7 a.m., the Cafe Tondo will serve drip coffee and espresso drinks with beans from Verve, alongside mate, cups of slow-simmered bone broth, matcha lattes made with Rocky's Matcha, hot chocolate, and suero, a classic Mexican drink made with sparkling water, salt, and lime juice. A weathered wood pastry case from Rosetta sits on the counter at the front, with conchas, pan de muerte, pan de elote, and more pastries made using Velasquez's recipes. Larger plates include chilaquiles verde, eggs al gusto, and hot cakes made with masa from Mercado La Paloma's Indigenous Mexican restaurant Komal. Starting in the afternoon, a menu of wine, spritzes, and beer will be available, including Tecate or Modelo-based cheladas, micheladas, and vermouth spritzes. Those looking for a non-alcoholic option can sip on ice-cold bottles of Jarritos or Mexican Coke, or a Tondo mocktail. Coffee will be available all day. Emily Ferretti At 4 p.m., the daytime menu is replaced by Colombian empanadas with a yellow-hued flaky masa crust, and tortas filled with carnitas or mushrooms. Smaller bites include marinated olives, chips and salsa, gildas with skewered anchovies, and fries. Only two larger dinner plates are on the menu: chicken Milanesa with arugula salad and aioli, and steak frites drizzled with a verdant chimichurri. 'We all grew up eating [Milanesa], in every [Latino] culture,' Velasquez says. 'It's something that is so international, but also so close to home.' For dessert, Cafe Tondo will offer affogato de olla, rolled out on a revamped dim sum cart — a nod to Chinatown. Aunt Studio designed Cafe Tondo; the group is also behind Mouthwash's headquarters in Chinatown. The group drew inspiration from the building's prior lives — as a tire shop, massage parlor, and most recently Oriel — retaining original elements such as the patinated concrete floor, exposed ceilings, and painted white brick walls. In the evenings, neon lights cast a red-pink glow on the exterior of the compact building, reminiscent of the light that fills Cafe Tondo during the daytime. A gray-hued stone bar sits just inside the main room, flanked by a mirrored column with a window that peeks into the kitchen. On the other side of the bar, wine glasses and bottles sit on dark wood shelving, above a reflective metal La Marzocco espresso machine. Stools with white upholstery offer seating at the bar, while cushioned banquette seating and two-tops line the outer edge of the room. In a small room tucked to the side, the dining room flows into the outdoors as a glass garage door opens directly onto the enclosed patio. While the entire main dining room is available on a walk-in basis only, the patio and secondary room can be reserved for private events or booked for seated reservations. 'The art is from my house. The food is the food I grew up with, the music is the music I grew up with. I see the beer my uncles would drink late at night. It's a very personal thing. But then again, I think the beauty is in the sharing.' — Abraham Campillo The heavy, scalloped tables throughout Cafe Tondo were built by Ombia Studio in Mexico, and the ceramics adorning the walls are from Isabella Marengo of Bugambilia. All of the art at Cafe Tondo is from Campillo's personal collection; he jokes that moving the pieces from his home to the cafe will just allow him to collect more. More than just the dining room will be familiar to those who knew it as Oriel. Campillo kept the restaurant's kitchen staff, paying them even during the three-month transition and the buildout. With such a small back-of-house footprint, it was essential to have a team that was already familiar with working in it. Patio after dark. Sean Davidson Campillo approached Cafe Tondo with the intention of it being for the Chinatown community, including keeping prices relatively accessible as the cost of living in the area continues to rise. All the dishes on the breakfast menu are under $20, with the steak frites being the most expensive at $30. Glasses of wine range between $15 and $17, while cans of Tecate are only $5. He also views local businesses — both old and new — as part of the community, rather than competition, emphasizing that there is room for all types of spaces in the neighborhood. Campillo also plans to program regular performances at Cafe Tondo, including weekly Sunday jazz, DJ residencies, bolero, and salsa, which he hopes will lead to some dancing. 'I'm most excited having a place where you can have a concha, a pan de elote with a coffee or mate, and then you can come later in the day, and you can have Milanesa or empanada, and you can dance as well,' he says. Campillo feels the vulnerability of sharing Cafe Tondo with the world. 'The art is from my house. The food is the food I grew up with, the music is the music I grew up with,' he says. 'I see the beer my uncles would drink late at night. It's a very personal thing. But then again, I think the beauty is in the sharing.' Cafe Tondo opens on July 25 and will hold hours from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday, and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Starting August 1, the cafe will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. It is located at 1135 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Pan de muerto. Emily Ferretti Concha. Emily Ferretti Emily Ferretti Passageway to the secondary dining room. Sean Davidson Cafe Tondo operates as a cafe during the day, and a bar at night. Sean Davidson Milanesa. Emily Ferretti Gildas. Emily Ferretti Milanesa torta. Emily Ferretti Vermouth spritz. Emily Ferretti Chelada. Emily Ferretti Cafe Tondo after dark. Sean Davidson


Boston Globe
15 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Composer Gabriela Ortiz has some myths about Mexican music to dispel
Advertisement That dream isn't so out of step with reality, she knows. Much of present-day Mexico City sits in the drained bed of ancient Lake Texcoco, which at one point covered over 2,000 square miles. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'And now what we don't have is water in Mexico City,' she said, pointing out that her neighborhood sometimes has its running water cut off in times of drought. She has the resources to buy temporary water supplies, but not everyone does, she said. 'In terms of climate change, it's just there. I'm living it.' Ortiz, 60, has had a prolific career so far. However, she only became widely known outside her home country in the late 2010s, when Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel commissioned a piece from her and started championing her music in earnest. The Boston Symphony Orchestra only played its first piece by Ortiz, 'Revolución diamantina,' this past spring. Coincidentally, that was just weeks after the piece was awarded a Grammy for best contemporary classical composition. When she arrived at the Tanglewood Music Center last week to direct this year's contemporary music festival, it marked her first visit to the BSO's summer home. Advertisement Ortiz, who teaches at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, planned the festival with several clear priorities in mind. 'I really wanted to establish that Mexican music has a line that is important to Tanglewood,' said Ortiz, who planned one program featuring music by Mexican Symphonic Orchestra founder and educator Carlos Chávez, his student (and Ortiz's teacher) Mario Lavista, and Ortiz's own student Diana Syrse. Though Tanglewood has hosted Latin American composers since its early days, such as Chávez, Silvestre Revueltas, and Juan Orrego-Salas, this FCM is probably the first time the Tanglewood programming has focused so intentionally on Latin American music, said TMC director Ed Gazouleas, who called Ortiz 'one of the greatest living composers of our time.' In the United States, especially in areas with Mexican-American presence, Mexican concert music sometimes does show up on programs. But in Europe, 'you're asked, 'Who is Chávez? Who is Revueltas?,' Ortiz said. 'I'm talking really major Latin American composers, and people don't know them.' She was also interested in collaborating with other Mexican artists, so the festival brought in the storied percussion quartet Tambuco, led by percussionist Eduardo Mata, who also studied under Chávez. 'Many of the instruments Chávez requests are pre-Columbian, and Tambuco is an authority on exactly the kind of sound Chávez was looking for,' Ortiz said. Advertisement Ortiz grew up surrounded by Mexican folk music, as her parents cofounded the Latin American group Los Folkloristas less than a year after her birth. She often uses a wild variety of percussion instruments in her own scores, including several indigenous Mexican instruments. 'I like rhythm. I think it's part of our DNA as humans,' she said. 'In any Latin American folk music, the main components are coming from Europe, Africa, and the native people. So rhythm is something that is very strong.' But though strong, it's not omnipresent, she said, pointing out her cello-voice-flute chamber piece 'Three Haikus,' which 'has nothing to do with rhythm. It's a totally different world. I have that voice as well.' Ortiz often draws inspiration from current events, history, or the natural world; sometimes all three at once. 'Revolución diamantina' specifically was a reaction to feminist protests in Mexico in 2019 and 2020. She wasn't there personally, but during one protest in early 2020, when she was working in Los Angeles, she asked her Mexico-based Twitter followers to send her audio recordings from the protests. Some of these captured protesters chanting various slogans, which made it into the final score. The cello concerto 'Dzonot,' written for Alisa Weilerstein, Dudamel, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and recorded on the recently released album 'Yanga,' was in turn inspired by the cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula — deep sinkholes with spiritual significance to the Maya that continue to provide vital fresh water. These natural wonders too are increasingly threatened by environmental contamination, Ortiz said, especially as tourism and industrial agriculture increase in the region. 'It's really insane. There are no rules!' she said. 'What is going to happen in the future if we keep doing this?' Advertisement Ortiz perhaps must be so exacting because she finds the world eager to pigeonhole her into a stereotype of 'Latin American music,' mariachi bands and fiestas, when in fact 'there's so many things happening' in Mexican music. 'I don't try to sound Mexican when I compose. What I have in mind is to discover my inner voice, and be honest. If something is related to Mexico, it's because I'm from Mexico and I live there, and those themes are closer to me.' Rehearsing 'Three Haikus' later with a trio of TMC fellows and two faculty members, Ortiz advised the performers that her music is much more frequently 'rhythmic and extroverted,' but this wasn't the case in that piece, which was a 70th birthday gift for Lavista, her teacher. The first movement, which set expansive melismas of bass flute and voice over a cello drone, sounded nearly medieval. Giving notes, she looked to the flutist. 'Please do this melody in a much freer way, when you don't have to play with anyone else,' she said. 'You have to be yourself there.' A.Z. Madonna can be reached at


Hamilton Spectator
18 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Best place to make movies': Toronto presents Guillermo del Toro with key to the city
TORONTO - Toronto has handed Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro the key to the city in recognition of his affinity for making films here. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow presented the Mexican-born filmmaker with the ceremonial honour Thursday morning, saying his history of producing films in Toronto has created jobs and supports a local screen industry. In accepting the key, del Toro said he loves Toronto and considers it 'the best place to make movies.' The presentation took place at the waterfront Cinespace Studios, which says it's renaming four sound stages to pay tribute to the 'Shape of Water' writer-director. Del Toro says he's spent about half of his 30-year career making movies in Toronto, including 2009's effects-laden action film 'Pacific Rim' and 2017's fantasy 'The Shape of the Water,' which netted Oscars for best director and best picture. Next up is his Netflix film 'Frankenstein,' featuring Jacob Elordi as the titular monster, which Del Toro says will be finished at the Toronto video production studio Company 3. 'Frankenstein' is bound for the Toronto International Film Festival in September. 'I have loved Toronto for so many years and I am very happy that it loves me back,' del Toro said during the ceremony. 'It does not only exist as a great city for making film, but for celebrating film,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .