Folklórico dancers filled the lobby with color and music as the El Paso Museum of Art reopened after $3.5 million in upgrades, marking the occasion with art, vendors and a Frida Kahlo exhibit.
The five-month closure allowed for improvements that modernized the museum’s infrastructure and upgraded its environmental and security systems to meet national museum standards. The museum reopened with a celebration on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Community arts: Valentine’s wheel class blends pottery, romance at Cantareras in El Paso
The El Paso Museum of Art reopened after $3.5 million in upgrades with “Frida Kahlo—Sus Fotos,” a traveling exhibit featuring 241 photographs from Kahlo’s personal archive.
The El Paso Museum of Art reopened after $3.5 million in upgrades with “Frida Kahlo—Sus Fotos,” a traveling exhibit featuring 241 photographs from Kahlo’s personal archive.
Although the museum was closed, staff brought art history to schools and the community, and as part of the city of El Paso, some classes were still taught at libraries and the El Paso Museum of History.
“Frida Kahlo—Sus Fotos” is an internationally acclaimed traveling exhibit featuring 241 photographs from Kahlo’s personal archive and will be on display through May 17.
The El Paso Museum of Art reopened after $3.5 million in upgrades with “Frida Kahlo—Sus Fotos,” a traveling exhibit featuring 241 photographs from Kahlo’s personal archive.
A folklórico dancer performs in the lobby of the El Paso Museum of Art during the museum’s reopening celebration on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, following $3.5 million in infrastructure and environmental upgrades.
“This is a traveling exhibition from Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico City,” said Michael Reyes, senior curator at the museum. “It’s an amazing exhibition. It’s over 200 photographs from her personal archive, dating from when she was a child, her family, to her travels, her ailments, and basically documenting a personal journey of hers throughout her lifetime.”
Because of copyright restrictions, attendees are not allowed to photograph the exhibit. However, the museum created an interactive space accompanying “Frida Kahlo—Sus Fotos,” where visitors can take photos with plush monkeys, children can color and draw, and attendees can lie down to create self-portraits as Kahlo once did while confined to bed.