Part of the fallout from the recent swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the subsequent decline in tourism is that some of Mexico City’s world-class museums are in big financial trouble.
According to an article in The News, an English-language newspaper published in Mexico City, Germany is donating US$70,000 to the cash-strapped Museo Frida Kahlo, whose visitation rates are down 90 percent. Also known as the Casa Azul or “Blue House,” this former home of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera in the colonial suburb of Coyacán exhibits paintings and sculptures by the famous couple along with many of Frida’s personal possessions.
Other Mexico City museums have reportedly had to ask the Mexican Government for funding to help them stay afloat during the current economic crisis. They include the Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli, which was created by Diego Rivera to display his extensive collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts; the Museo Franz Mayor, a well known history museum in the Centro Histórico; and the Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño, which has one of the largest and most important collections of works by Diego Rivera.