Frida Kahlo’s Decorative Clocks Reveal Her Turbulent Love Story with Diego Rivera

Within Casa Azul—the home-turned-museum where Frida Kahlo spent much of her life alongside her husband Diego Rivera—small twin clocks rarely capture the immediate attention of visitors.

These glazed ceramic pieces, designed to resemble clocks but never intended to function as such, can be easily overlooked amid the rich array of Mexican folk art displayed throughout the museum in Mexico City’s Coyoacán district. Notably, a new museum branch is scheduled to open nearby later this year.

Originating from Michoacán in western Mexico, each clock stands roughly eight inches tall. Although a 1940 photograph shows them inside Casa Azul, the exact timing and manner of their arrival remain uncertain, according to the museum’s director.

What is clear, however, is the personal significance these objects held for Kahlo. She inscribed both clocks by hand, marking two pivotal events in her life: her divorce from Rivera in 1939 and their subsequent remarriage the following year.

The museum director emphasizes that Casa Azul is filled with artifacts that narrate stories, with these clocks serving as intimate reminders of the complex relationship between Kahlo and Rivera.

The couple, who first wed in 1929, experienced a tumultuous union marked by infidelities and repeated reconciliations, lasting until Kahlo’s death in 1954. Their passionate and often volatile bond has been described as a fierce alliance filled with love, conflict, and enduring devotion.