Life and work
ROBERT BRADY
The American artist and collector Robert Brady was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1928. Heir to a transportation company, he broke away from his father’s expectations and ventured into the art world from a very young age. Fascinated by various objects and driven by intense curiosity, he began collecting at the age of 16.
In the 1940s, he started his professional art studies in Chicago, continued in Philadelphia, and finally studied at the Barnes Institute in Pennsylvania. The latter had a profound impact on him, shaping his preferences in the types of art and objects he would collect, as well as influencing his unique way of displaying, arranging, and interacting with them.
Brady was an avid traveler, dedicating long periods each year to visiting all kinds of places until the end of his life. He found a dialogue with the regions he explored through the objects he acquired from them. After completing his formal studies, he traveled around Europe and eventually settled in Venice for six years.
It was during one of his visits to Mexico in the late 1950s that Brady discovered Cuernavaca and the space that would become his home: the Casa de la Torre. The history of this building, which now houses his collection, began in the 16th century. Located in the heart of the city, it originally formed part of the Cuernavaca Cathedral. It was remodeled as an astronomical observatory in the early 19th century and, after the revolution, was expropriated along with other adjoining buildings and eventually sold until it came into Robert Brady's possession in 1961.
From that moment on, he dedicated nearly twenty years to remodeling it, preserving its original architecture and transforming it into a refuge for the more than 1,400 pieces that now make up his collection.
Portrait of Robert Brady c. 1960.
Robert Brady painting in the streets of Venice, 1954.
Casa de la Torre viewed from the garden, c. 1970.
Robert Brady and an unknown woman in the Yellow Room, c. 1974.
Robert Brady and Peggy Guggenheim at the Guggenheim Museum in N.Y., c. 1970.
Brady's approach to collecting reflected both his personality and his need to continually discover new perspectives on the world. His collection includes pieces from various cultures, eras, and styles, ranging from African masks and Huichol figures to Navajo textiles, Asian Oriental furniture, and paintings by 20th-century artists. All were united by Brady's eye, meticulously placed to create a specific, dynamic, and aesthetic narrative connected to the building, crafted through playfulness and intuition.
Thus, every corner of the house tells a story composed of multiple perspectives contained in all types of images and objects. These are framed within a structure where color, textures, and design generate an atmosphere that shapes the narrative.
His home welcomed a wide array of personalities who would play a significant role in his life, such as the renowned collector Peggy Guggenheim, with whom he maintained a close friendship. The dancer Josephine Baker, for whom he dedicated one of the rooms in the house, visited him frequently. Other important guests included Nobel Prize-winning author Octavio Paz, Hollywood diva Rita Hayworth, and composer and artist John Cage, among many others. Grand parties were held in the garden, where every detail was considered to welcome his guests, transforming his house into a portal activated by the interaction of its elements, creating an eclectic space where different parts of the world converged.
As an artist, Brady produced a large number of portraits and mainly tapestries, created in collaboration with the Rosales family workshop from the State of Mexico, with whom he worked for over a decade. With his limited Spanish and the help of his assistant and translator, Concepción Gómez, they crafted textile pieces that are now part of various collections.
Gathering on the deck of la Casa de la Torre, c. 1970.
Robert Brady painting portrait of Arthur Barkell in his studio, c. 1977.
Gathering in the main patio of Casa de la Torre, c. 1974-1980.
Robert Brady with two cardboard sketches for tapestries in his studio, c. 1980.
Robert Brady pintando el retrato de Paula Laurence c. 1967-1970.
Robert Brady working in his studio within Casa de la Torre, 1964.
In 1986, at the age of 58, Robert Brady passed away due to cancer. He was buried in his garden alongside his dogs. However, before he died, he specified that his house and collection should be opened to the public. That same year, the Robert Brady Foundation in the United States, in collaboration with the Fundación Robert Brady A.C. in Mexico and with the support of INAH, restored the building to inaugurate it as a museum in February 1990.
The arrangement of objects remains exactly as Brady envisioned, so entering this house-museum is like stepping into his life, personality, relationships, and his way of seeing art and the world. As visitors explore the space, each element comes to life, creating a shared setting of contemplation and enjoyment.
The legacy Robert Brady leaves behind is a house that continues to be an observatory connecting with other worlds. It offers an environment far removed from the typical white cube gallery, becoming a space where moments, places, and people converge, brought to life through art and its multitude of stories.
Robert Brady posing next to pieces from his collection on the terrace of Casa de la Torre, 1969.
