Frida Kahlo "has been turned into a product," says Cristina Kahlo, grandniece of the world's most renowned and valued Mexican artist. Cristina, who also bears the Kahlo name, is the daughter of Antonio, son of the painter's sister, also named Cristina. "Since the creation of the Frida Kahlo Corporation (FKC), there has been a total disconnect regarding the artist," she adds.
July 13 marks 70 years since the artist's death, and Cristina Kahlo believes that her great aunt's name has been taken from Mexicans in what she considers an "illegal" transaction. She refers to the business that started in 2005, which led to the creation of the FKC brand with Venezuelan businessman Carlos Dorado, allowing the global commercialization of the artist's name and image.
"That brand was created illegally because they did it by claiming my father had died and had no children. So, from the outset, it was created illegally. And regarding Carlos Dorado, well, he is a businessman who bought a brand," she points out. Cristina explains that her great-grandfather Guillermo Kahlo, Frida's father, had six daughters, two from his first marriage (Frida's half-sisters) and four from his second. Among these, only Cristina, her great-grandmother—after whom she was named—had two children.
They were Isolda, who initiated the transaction to create FKC, and who was the mother of Mara Cristina Teresa Romeo Pinedo and grandmother of Mara de Anda Romeo (the Maras), and Antonio, father of Cristina, as well as her siblings Guillermo and Mariana Kahlo. "Our last name was Kahlo and not Romeo Pinedo because my father, at 18, legally changed his paternal last name, Pinedo. He did this not for Frida but for his mother, Cristina Kahlo. He had little contact with his father and dropped the Pinedo surname, keeping only Kahlo," she says.
Following Isolda's death, "the Maras" have engaged in legal disputes to continue commercializing the Frida Kahlo brand. However, Cristina believes they have turned the artist into a product: "We want to admire Frida Kahlo as a painter and promote her work, not just from an anecdotal perspective. If Frida Kahlo saw what she had been turned into, it would make her furious. This shows a lack of understanding of Frida Kahlo, our Mexican identity, and the essence of what she stood for."
Cristina emphasizes that neither she nor her siblings are interested in the commercial aspect surrounding their great aunt. They have no communication with their cousins, "the Maras." "People know us; we are relatives of Frida Kahlo, but we are involved in culture. My profession as a photographer brings me great satisfaction. Occasionally, I curate exhibitions, as I have done for Mexico and other countries. It's professional, ethical work, and we are not involved in this," she says after attending the inauguration of FILCO in downtown Coyoacán.
The photographer also believes that cultural institutions in the country should take a more active role regarding the conflict over the Kahlo name. "I think time was allowed to pass, and eventually, things are as they are now—a complete confusion."
In an effort to promote the artist, Cristina Kahlo is about to open an exhibition at the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Altavista. The exhibition will feature images of the artist and muralist Diego Rivera at the American British Cowdray Hospital, which treated the painter in the 1950s, along with some medical records. "It's a way to approach Frida from a very human perspective, not just this colorful aspect, but getting to the core," she says.
- FKC has stamped the artist's name on liquor, school supplies, restaurants, toys, and clothing.
- In the latest episode over the rights, "the Maras" were sued by Alfonso Durán.
- The businessman claims 3.5 million pesos, alleging he was deceived by Kahlo's grandnieces into believing they owned the brand.