Culture, Music, Sport and Festivals

Jenny’s Cultural Finds

14 July 2014

1. Frida Kahlo Museum, Mexico City, Mexico

The Frida Kahlo Museum is an absolute must for anyone visiting Mexico City! Often called the Blue House (La Casa Azul) due to the building’s colbalt-blue walls, this fascinating museum displays a retrospective view of Frida Kahlo’s work, along with works by her husband Diego Rivera and other Mexican artists. The house is in fact Frida’s birth place, where she grew up and then lived with her husband in later life. The house was donated to Mexico City by Diego Rivera in Frida’s honour.

2. Botero Museum, Bogota, Colombia

While the Colombian Gold Museum often takes centre stage in Bogota’s museum scene, the Botero museum still captures the imagination of all who visit. The figurative artist, who’s style, often refered to as ‘Boterismo’ depicts men, women and animals in scenes of daily life or historical events with exaggerated and disproportionate volumetry with underlying themes of criticism, irony, humour, and ingenuity.

3. Evita Museum, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The stunning mansion in the now trendy area of Palermo was originally bought by the Argentinian State under direction of Evita in 1947 and turned into a shelter for single mothers. The shelter subsequently closed when Juan Perón was deposed in 1955. The building was then used as offices by the Argentinian government until in 2002 when, on the 50th Anniversaryof Evita’s death, it was turned into a museum celebrating her life and legacy. The museum is filled with a stunning collection of her lavish wardrobe (a must-see for any Fashionista) as well as items from the Eva Perón Historical Foundation, including some of her early films.

4. MAC (Museu de Arte Contemporânea), Niterói, Brazil

The Museum of Contemporary Art is considered one of the most important cultural institutions in Brazil. The building is well worth a visit as it’s designed by one of the luminaries of modernist architecture in Brazil: Afonso Reidy. The museum offers visitors a wealth of Brazilian art with notable works by Di Cavalcanti, Maria Martins and Neoconcretists such as, Helio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, Wyllis de Castro, Franz Weissmann and many more.

5. The Larco museum, Lima Peru

With a plethora of fantastic museums in Lima to choose from, the Larco museum stands out head and shoulders above the rest. This museum has the most remarkable collection spanning 3000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. It also features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic archaeological collection – one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions. The museum is housed in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century and built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid that’s surrounded by beautiful gardens – a must-see for any visitor to Peru!