Esoteric Survey

The Dolores Olmedo Museum , in Xochimilco, is home to the largest collection of works by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in the world. Along with the art is 16th-century architecture, peacocks, Xoloitzcuintles, and even a little Eames. The museum was the vision of entrepreneur Dolores Olmedo Patiño. It's housed in Dolores Olmedo’s former residence and sprawling grounds of the the historic La Noria estate.  Born in Mexico City in 1908, Dolores was the daughter of a businessman who passed away when she was four, and a schoolteacher. She initially studied law before studying anthropology, music, and art history in Paris. In her twenties, Olmedo purchased several brick factories, launching a business that eventually evolved into ICA, one of the largest construction companies in Latin America. Source: UNAM This photo of Dolores with one of her beloved Xoloitzcuintles hangs inside her former home.  There are a number of the dogs still living on the estate.  Frida also loved dogs, ...

The second part of the Eames Institute Collector's Circle was a trip to Novato to see the future home of the museum. John Savage Bolles was the  architect of record on the project. He also designed Candlestick Park, an IBM campus in San Jose, and Embarcadero Plaza. It was built in 1964 as the McGraw-Hill Publishing Western distribution center. They left in 1991 and Birkenstock moved in the same year. In 2007 the German sandal maker moved out of the building, only to return in 2012, although they only used the offices. Birkenstock left for good in 2020 and it has remained empty. Although rumors were circulating for several years about it, in 2025 that the Eames Institute announced they purchased the property.  John Cary, President and CEO of the Eames Institute, led this part of the day. He shared the institute's vision for the property. First and foremost, it will be a design museum, with a focus on Eames. However, it's going to much more than that. The warehouse building...