Frida Kahlo: In her own image offers an intimate glimpse into one of the twentieth century’s most influential artists. This exclusive exhibition showcases Kahlo’s personal belongings—including clothing, make-up, accessories, and artworks—on loan from Mexico’s Museo Frida Kahlo, marking their first appearance in Australia. These items, sealed in a bathroom for 50 years after Kahlo’s death in her beloved home, La Casa Azul, provide fresh insights into her meticulously crafted public persona.
Kahlo’s vibrant attire, dramatic make-up, and ornate medical prostheses were integral to her public image, addressing the geopolitical issues of her era, cultural and social identity, and her own physicality. After surviving polio in childhood and a near-fatal accident at 18, her disabilities became central to her self-expression both in life and art.
The exhibition highlights the connections between Kahlo’s fashion choices, her photographic performances, and her artwork, including iconic self-portraits. Through photographs, documents, and personal mementos, visitors can explore the personal, political, philosophical, and artistic influences that shaped her unique worldview and groundbreaking creativity. Additionally, the exhibition examines Kahlo’s rise as a mythologized and revered figure and her enduring impact on art and society.
Images:
Frida Kahlo in blue satin blouse, 1939, photograph by Nickolas Muray © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives.
Cotton blouse embroidered with glass beads; satin skirt with chain stitch and floral motif embroidery; holán (ruffle) and guatemalan waist-sash. Photo: © Museo Frida Kahlo – Casa Azul Collection – Javier Hinojosa, 2017.
Revlon compact and powderpuff with blusher in ‘Clear Red’; Seal-fast nail varnish top coat; Lastron nail varnishes in ‘Frosted Snow Pink’ and ‘Frosted Pink Lightening’; lipstick in ‘Everything’s Rosy’. Before 1954. Photo: © Museo Frida Kahlo – Casa Azul Collection – Javier Hinojosa, 2017.
Plaster corset, painted and decorated by Frida Kahlo, 1944. Museo Frida Kahlo. © Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Archives, Banco de México, Fiduciary of the Trust of the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums.
Frida Kahlo, Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird 1940. Nickolas Muray Collection of Mexican Art, 66.6 © 2020 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F.
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