The Museum of Modern Art presents Frida and Diego: The Last Dream, an exhibition of key works from MoMA’s collection by Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) and Diego Rivera (1886–1957), on view from March 21 through September 12, 2026. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera’s premiere of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (May 14–June 5, 2026). The opera is a mythical exploration of Frida and Diego’s profound relationship with their art and each other.
Image above: Leo Matiz. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Mexico. 1946. Platinum/palladium print, 13 3/4 × 12 3/16″ (35 × 31 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Alejandra Matiz. Photo: Robert Gerhardt
For the exhibition, MoMA has invited Jon Bausor, the stage set and co-costume designer of the opera, to create an innovative setting for the artworks inspired by his designs for the opera and the works of Kahlo and Rivera. The installation will showcase six paintings and a drawing by Kahlo and over a dozen works by Rivera. Photographic portraits of the artists by luminaries such as Lola Álvarez Bravo and Leo Matiz will also be on view.
For the presentation at the Museum of Modern Art, Jon Bausor has designed an exhibition architecture that immerses visitors in the otherworldly atmosphere of the opera production, offering a new context for the celebrated works of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego is set during the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday honoring deceased loved ones and ancestors. The opera follows an aging Rivera as he summons Kahlo back to life, allowing the two to revisit their artistic collaboration.
Although Kahlo and Rivera are among the most influential artists of the 20th century, Frida and Diego: The Last Dreamholds special significance for MoMA, as both artists maintained a close relationship with the Museum during their lifetimes. Works such as Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair (1940) and Fulang-Chang and I (1937) by Kahlo, as well as Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita (1931) and Agrarian Leader Zapata (1931) by Rivera, have long been fixtures in the Museum’s collection galleries.
Building on this legacy, the exhibition adopts an interdisciplinary approach, placing the artworks in dialogue with the opera. Public programs developed in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera will accompany the presentation.
Together, the exhibition and its accompanying program offer new perspectives on how Kahlo and Rivera’s groundbreaking art continues to inspire artists across disciplines to this day.
WHEN?
Exhibition dates: Saturday, 21. March until Saturday, 12. September 2026
WHERE?
The Museum of Modern Art
11 W 53rd St, New York
NY 10019
