MEXICO: Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera come under the spotlight in Mexico on the 100th anniversary of Kahlo's birth
- 00:00:04
- ITN Source
MEXICO: Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera come under the spotlight in Mexico on the 100th anniversary of Kahlo's birth
A collection of letters, photos and personal effects belonging to Mexican artistic couple Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo went on display in Mexico City on Friday (July 6) after 50 years hidden from view. Titled "Treasures of the Blue House, Frida and Diego" and housed in Mexico City's Frida Kahlo Museum, the exhibition will run from July 6 until Sept. 30 as part of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Kahlo's birth. It contains about 100 of the 22,105 documents contained in the archives and 50 photographs never before seen in public. Married twice, Kahlo, who died in 1954, and Rivera, whose death followed three years later, are among Mexico's most famous artists. Kahlo, who was crippled in a tram accident as a teenager, focused on themes of female suffering and mutilation. Rivera's murals portraying capitalism, communism and imperialism in Mexican history adorn Mexico City's National Palace. Rivera requested that the collection not be made public until 15 years after Kahlo's death. Dolores Olmedo, an art patron to whom Rivera entrusted the collection, decided that the artifacts should remain private until after she herself died. She passed away in 2002. The archive contains thousands of letters detailing their tortured relationship and numerous infidelities, including Kahlo's reported affair with exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. "We are going to see many of unknown aspects of Diego and Frida's private life. I am not talking about their unconventional social conducts, I am talking about their daily life," said Frida Kahlo Museum Director, Carlos Phillips. As well as the couple's love life, the show includes details of their militancy as communists and links to politicians of the times including Soviet leader Josef Stalin. Investigators are working in stages. Not all new material will be displayed. "We are exhibiting a minimum part of the treasure, this is the first research we are doing and much more will be done later to enrich our knowledge and understanding of Diego and Frida's life," said Phillips. Kahlo's reputation has bloomed in the last decade, with shows within Mexico and internationally. Her ambiguous sexuality and preoccupation with overtly female themes have made her a feminist icon of world renown.
ITN Source | July 4, 2007
