Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera on Mexican money

From the Los Angeles Times in the USA:

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to be reunited on Mexican bill

August 30, 2010 | 3:47 pm

The Bank of Mexico said Monday it would place in circulation a new 500-peso bill featuring the well-known faces of two of the country’s best-known artists, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. In the bank’s official video to promote the bill’s anti-counterfeiting features (embedded above in Spanish), two figures resembling the celebrity couple stroll in costume around traditional and modern sites in Mexico.

The previous face on the 500-peso bill was Ignacio Zaragoza, hero of the Battle of Puebla. Milenio reports that in 2006, efforts to replace his face on the note were resisted in Congress. This time, the Bank of Mexico said it had the autonomy to change the look of Mexico’s currency as it bolsters efforts to combat money laundering and counterfeiting. …

The faces of Rivera and Kahlo appear on opposite sides of the new bill, along with reproductions of works by them. The note has six anti-fraud features, including a watermark and relief text. In September, Mexico begins celebrating 100 years since the start of the revolution and 200 years since declaring independence from Spain.

— Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

Fortunately, not all central banks in the world put pictures of anti-Semitic politicians on their money, like in Romania …

Frida Kahlo retrospective in Berlin—Part 1: The “Kahlo myth” and the reality: here.

Frida Kahlo retrospective in Berlin—Part 2: Frida Kahlo and communism: here.

Siân Ruddick visits a new exhibition of the art and revolutionary politics of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo: here.

Related articles

• Studio Visit: Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera – Part 2 – Interior
• Frida Kahlo’s studio to spring up in New York Botanical Garden

• Frida Kahlo and her house (michelledevilliersart.wordpress.com)
• VIDEO: Frida Kahlo’s personal items on display (bbc.co.uk)