The fate of a few artworks by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and José Clemente Orozco has Mexico on edge, to the point of practically becoming a matter of state. Ever since the announcement early this year of a long-term agreement to transfer the Gelman collection to the Spanish banking giant Banco Santander, which will be responsible for the management (including conservation, research and exhibition) of part of one of the most significant collections of 20th-century Mexican art, a formidable controversy has erupted, forcing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to step in and try to clarify the situation.

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The jubilation unleashed by a World Cup leaves its mark on the host country. On June 11, Mexico will be able to say it is the only country in the world to have hosted the world’s premier football tournament three times, even four if we include the 1971 Women’s World Cup. However, unlike in 1970 and 1986, the business surrounding the game has exploded, and with it, everything has become more expensive. From jerseys to match tickets, which can reach prices of over 50,000 pesos ($2,869). Even to watch the matches on television, a fan must pay up to 1,000 pesos ($57) to follow all 104 games. Faced with these expenses, thousands of young Mexicans have chosen to be part of the World Cup frenzy through nearly 5,000 murals and all kinds of activities.

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The tragedy can be summed up in a few figures: there are 150 Frida Kahlo paintings in the world, and only four of them are part of Mexico’s public heritage. There are seven in total within the country, if privately owned works are included. That imbalance — in a body of work that is already tiny — partly explains the outrage of Mexico’s art community, which is observing with a mixture of astonishment, doubt, and anger as the elusive Gelman collection — which includes at least 18 Kahlo works — is slated to be moved to Spain.

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