Fundación Kahlo and Phillips Auction House Launch of the Inaugural Kahlo Art Prize

 On the occasion of Frida Kahlo’s birthday, Fundación Kahlo officially launched the inaugural Kahlo Art Prize, an international biennial award created to celebrate and elevate the work of emerging contemporary Mexican artists. The inaugural prize will include a $50,000 USD financial stipend, as well as opportunities for the recipient’s work to be exhibited in New York as well as at Museo Casa Kahlo, the recently opened museum in Coyoacán, Mexico City, dedicated to the family life and legacy of Frida Kahlo. Phillips Auction House is proud to be a sponsor. The first recipient of the Kahlo Art Prize will be named on July 6, 2027, in Coyoacan on the site of Museo Casa Kahlo.

The Art Prize jury will be led by Magalí Arriola, the former director of Museo Tamayo in Mexico City.  For more than 30 years Ms. Arriola’s projects have navigated the intersection of art and politics.

Submissions for the prize will be open beginning in November of this year. The Kahlo Art Prize will celebrate an eligible artist who is a Mexican national, with the inaugural prize focused on two-dimensional artwork only. More details will be announced shortly, with full submission and entry rules available (beginning in November) at fundacionkahlo.org/kahloartprize.

“Through the process of opening the museo and welcoming the globe into Frida’s world, there has been one constant refrain: Más amor, más família, más Mexico – more love, more family, more Mexico,” said Mara Romeo Kahlo, Frida’s closest living relative and heir. “As a lifelong teacher, Frida was devoted to the idea of elevating and celebrating other artists, and that is at the heart of the Kahlo Art Prize.”

At an event at the Museo celebrating Frida’s birthday, Rick Miramontez, Chairman of Fundación Kahlo, stated, "Frida Kahlo believed that art came from living one's truth with courage and authenticity. This prize honors that spirit by investing not only in artistic excellence, but in the next generation of Mexican voices whose work will shape our culture for decades to come. Through the Kahlo Art Prize, Fundación Kahlo celebrates Frida's enduring legacy by helping to encourage and ensure that the future of Mexican art is as bold, original, and fearless as she was.”

Miety Heiden, Chairman, Private Sales, Phillips, said, "Few artists have had the lasting impact of Frida Kahlo. Generations after her lifetime, her work continues to shape cultural conversations and inspire new artistic voices. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Fundación Kahlo on the Kahlo Art Prize and to help create a platform for emerging Mexican artists. Supporting artists at pivotal moments in their careers is central to what we do, and this initiative reflects our continued commitment."

Since opening in fall 2025, Museo Casa Kahlo has been spotlit as one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2026, Time Out’s 26 Best Things to Do in the World in 2026, and on J.P. Morgan’s NextList 2026, highlighting cutting-edge experiences at the forefront of arts and culture.

Casa Roja, as the museum is affectionately called, was a private home owned by the Kahlo family for generations before its life as a museum. With a visual identity developed by Pentagram and restoration design by Mexico-based architect Mariana Doet Zepeda Orozco and Rockwell Group’s David Rockwell, the museo provides a roster of events supporting and amplifying local Mexican culture.  Adán García Farjado serves as the museum’s Director.

Museo Casa Kahlo is supported in part by Fundación Kahlo, the New York City-based nonprofit organization created with the Kahlo family to support the arts and Mexican culture in the spirit of Frida herself.

Fundación Kahlo was established by the Kahlo family to preserve Frida Kahlo’s legacy, with particular focus on Mexican arts, culture, community enrichment, and philanthropy. The family values creativity, authenticity, resilience, inclusivity, community, and global awareness. Since its creation in May 2025, the Fundación has worked to support those values by actively engaging with supporters of the arts in Mexico, the United States, and around the world in its philanthropic endeavors.  The Fundación’s Board of Directors includes Ms. Romeo Kahlo (President), David Rockwell and Thomas Schumacher.

Ileen Gallagher is its Creative Director, and Mara De Anda is Program Director.  The Advisory Board includes Frida Hentschel Romeo, founder of Corazon Kahlo; Hedda Moye Leonardi, Global Advisor; and Deborah Sass, Endowment Executive.