If you are a lover of art and culture, you won’t want to miss the ‘Kahlo Sin Fronteras’ exhibition, which opened on March 17 at the Museum of Arts (MUSA) in Guadalajara and will remain on display through August 6, 2023.
Curated by the artist’s great-niece, Cristina Kahlo, in collaboration with the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, this one-of-a-kind exhibition delves into the most personal life of one of Mexico’s most iconic painters.
Instead of her artworks, Kahlo Sin Fronteras displays Frida’s personal correspondence, books, documents, and medical records, as well as photographs dating from 1898 to 1953.
Some of the more recent photos are from 1953, right after the amputation of the artist’s right leg, and shortly before her death the following year. The images taken by Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide show Frida’s new prosthesis, as well as the corsets she wore after her accident in 1926. They are on display alongside images of the hospital gowns she wore that got stained with paint while working from her bed.
Cristina’s father, Antonio Kahlo, took some of the most intimate photos of the ailing artist. The intimacy of the images shows Frida as someone “who had all these operations and who continued as a creative artist even when she was in a hospital room… For her, art was healing,” Cristina Kahlo said. “The images reveal a vulnerable and depressed Frida, surprisingly different from the figure in the collective imagination: a woman with a perpetually strong look and pride in her clothes,” she added.
In addition to the photographs, there are a series of personal letters on display that provide a glimpse into the life of the troubled artist, who was haunted by questions about her treatment, the behavior of her husband Diego Rivera, and the socialist struggle.
The exhibition also displays clinical material, such as medical notes, from those who cared for the artist during her various convalescences. All of this helps museum visitors better understand the story behind each of Frida Kahlo’s paintings, which portray the aspects of her life that led to her suffering, both physically and emotionally.
If you plan to visit Guadalajara, don’t miss the Kahlo Without Borders exhibition at the Museum of Arts, located at Juárez 975, in the center if the city. MUSA is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Sundays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Entrance is free, but we recommend the guided tours for a more complete experience.
Source: El Economista