This spring, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera will become fixtures of New York’s cultural calendar. On May 14, the Metropolitan Opera will premiere El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, a mythical reinterpretation of Kahlo and Rivera’s relationship with each other and with their art set during the Day of the Dead. But before El Último Sueño’s debut, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will also get in on the action, collaborating with John Bausor, the opera’s stage set and co-costume designer, on an innovative new exhibition.
Titled Frida and Diego: The Last Dream, the show will gather five paintings and a drawing by Kahlo, over a dozen pieces by Rivera, and photographic portraits of both Mexican modernists. This selection is carefully curated from MoMA’s own collection, which encompasses some of the most seminal works by the 20th-century artists. Kahlo’s 1940 Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair, for instance, betrays her androgynous impulses, forgoing the feminine attributes with which she often depicted herself, such as traditional embroidered Tehuana dresses or flowers in her hair. The painting was produced a year after Kahlo’s divorce from Rivera, in 1939, seemingly meditating upon the dual violence and liberation involved in drastically reinventing one’s appearance.
Rivera’s Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita, on the other hand, is a more celebratory work. As its title suggests, the composition showcases a flower festival held on Good Friday, complete with a bold color palette and monumental floral motifs. Above all, though, the painting reflects Rivera’s enduring interest in Indigenous Mexican people and traditions, both of which became central themes throughout his practice. When juxtaposed with Self-Portrait, Kahlo and Rivera’s creative visions are palpable, offering an indelible glimpse into their aesthetic languages and scopes.
These works are, of course, a highlight, but at the heart of The Last Dream is its elaborate design. Bausor translates the opera’s design from the stage to a gallery, drawing visitors “into the otherworldly setting of the production,” per the MoMA. The exhibition, then, assumes an interdisciplinary approach, presenting Kahlo and Rivera’s art in conversation with the opera itself. The result is an immersive and unexpected installation, deftly combining painted, musical, and decorative expression. To further enrich this connection, public programs produced in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera will accompany the exhibition.
“Together, the exhibition and programming will shed new light on how Kahlo and Rivera’s groundbreaking art continues to inspire artists across disciplines to this day,” the MoMA explains in a press statement.
Frida and Diego: The Last Dream will be on view at the Museum of Modern Art from March 21 to September 12, 2026.
Timed to a new opera inspired by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, MoMA will host The Last Dream, featuring seminal works by the Mexican artists and innovative exhibition design.
Frida Kahlo, “My Grandparents, My Parents, and I,” 1936. (Photo: Jonathan Muzikar © 2025 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society)
Diego Rivera, “Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita,” 1931. (Photo: Erik Landsberg © 2025 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society)
Frida Kahlo, “Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair,” 1940. (Photo: Peter Butler © 2025 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society)
Frida Kahlo, “Fulang-Chang and I,” 1937. (Photo: John Wronn © 2025 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society)
Diego Rivera, “Agrarian Leader Zapata,” 1931. (Photo: John Wronn © 2025 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society)
Exhibition Information:
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
The Last Dream
March 21–September 12, 2026
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd St., New York, NY 10019
All images via MoMA’s press center.
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