Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House-Studio Museum: functionalist architecture

The buildings incorporate functionalist elements which, in several cases, have been adapted to the Mexican landscape. Examples of this are the pilotis (slender columns that support the first-floor structure) and the use of concrete, baked clay panels, electrical installations, exposed drainage, open floors in the style of vestibules, and a spiral staircase—the central component which stands out from everything else.

A constant element in this space is the organic cactus perimeter fence, which visually integrates it as a whole, from inside and out. It is a fundamental aspect that demonstrates the importance O'Gorman gave to landscape architecture.

In line with his political and social views, as well as his functionalist aesthetics, Diego Rivera commissioned him to build his house and studio, which was completed in 1932. He also planned to build a small photographic workshop.

In keeping with the style chosen for construction of the first house-studio, the first floors are completely open and the others are supported by pilotis. The property includes access from the streets Diego Rivera (then Palma) and Altavista, as well as the cactus fence that marks out the plot.

Le Corbusier's influence can be seen in the building that houses the studio, given its similarity to the house-studio belonging to the painter Amedeé Ozenfant, which was built in Paris in 1922. Both structures boast a saw-tooth roof and an external spiral staircase with concrete handrails. Inside, the work space or painter's studio is the highlight, because of its dimensions and double height.

The house that was lived in, known today as "Casa Frida," was the part designed to be used as a home, with a bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and bedroom, and a studio on the second floor for Frida Kahlo. The proportions of the spaces are smaller in scale, since functionalism advocated building very small homes.

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo returned from their stay in the USA in 1934 and only lived in the houses as a couple for a short time, because Frida left Diego and moved to the "Casa Azul" (Blue House) in Coyoacán, where she had spent her childhood and youth. Even when they were subsequently reconciled, they kept separate homes and did not live together again.

This is where Diego died in 1957, and his vigil was held in his studio before his body was transported to the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) for his funeral.

The site had changed quite a lot over time, and in 1997, the decision was made to restore it to its original 1932 state, incorporating the "Casa Frida" into the museum and changing the name to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House-Studio Museum.

A second stage of transformation occurred in 2012, when the neighboring property—the 1929 O'Gorman house—was acquired.

Juan O'Gorman's functionalist house-studio project was therefore restored to its original integral state, allowing visitors to see the symbolic space that brought 3 historic Mexican figures together.