Nickolas Muray (American, born Hungary, 1892–1965). Frida in New York, 1946; printed 2006. Carbon pigment print, image: 14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum; Emily Winthrop Miles Fund, 2010.80. Photo by Nickolas Muray, © Nickolas Muray Photo Archive. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
This winter, the Brooklyn Museum will present a landmark exhibition that explores the art and identity of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Called Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving, this ambitious show will present the various elements that “played a part in defining Kahlo’s self-presentation in her work and life.”
According to the Brooklyn Museum, Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving is based on Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, a recent exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Like its British counterpart, this new exhibition will tell Kahlo’s story through three main channels: revealing photographs, iconic paintings, and authentic artifacts.
Ranging from rare childhood portraits taken by her father to a well-known series shot by photographer Nickolas Muray, the photographs featured in the exhibit offer an intimate glimpse into Kahlo’s short life. To both contrast and complement these objective images, the exhibit will also showcase ten of the artist’s self-portraits and a selection of drawings.
Finally, the exhibit will present possessions taken from La Casa Azul (“The Blue House”), Kahlo’s birthplace, childhood home, and place of death. Making their American debut, these telling artifacts include “noteworthy examples of her iconic Tehuana clothing, contemporary and Mesoamerican jewelry, and some of the many hand-painted corsets and prosthetics used by the artist during her lifetime.”
Together, these paintings, photographs, and objects “illustrate how Kahlo crafted her appearance, and shaped her personal and public identity to reflect her cultural heritage and political beliefs while also addressing and incorporating her physical disabilities”—a complex approach taken by Kahlo in both her life and work.
Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving will be on view from February 8 to May 12, 2019.
One of the most anticipated Brooklyn Museum exhibits to date, Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving will tell the iconic artist’s story through works of art, photographs, and artifacts.
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Self-Portrait with Red and Gold Dress (Self-Portrait MCMXLI), 1941. Oil on canvas, 15 1⁄4 x 10 3⁄4 in. (39 x 27.5 cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Self-Portrait with a Necklace, 1933. Oil on metal, 13 3⁄4 x 11 in. (35 x 29 cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Self-Portrait with Monkeys, 1943. Oil on canvas, 32 x 24 3⁄4 in. (81.5 x 63 cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Self-Portrait with Braid, 1941. Oil on hardboard, 20 x 15 1⁄4 in. (51 x 38.5 cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Self-Portrait as a Tehuana, 1943. Oil on hardboard, 30 x 24 in. (76 x 61 cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). The Love Embrace of the Universe, 1949. Oil on Masonite, 27 1⁄2 x 23 3⁄4 in. (70 x 60.5 cm). The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation. © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954). Appearances Can Be Deceiving, n.d. Charcoal and colored pencil on paper, 11 1⁄4 x 8 in. (29 x 20.8 cm). © 2018 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Guillermo Kahlo, Frida Kahlo, c.1926. Silver gelatin print, 6 3⁄4 x 4 3⁄4 in. (17.2 x 12.2 cm). Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera Archives. Bank of Mexico, Fiduciary in the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museum Trust
Ricardo Ayulardo, Family of Matilde Calderón y González, 1890. Silver gelatin print, 8 x 10 in. (20.2 x 25.2 cm). Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera Archives. Bank of Mexico, Fiduciary in the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museum Trust
Exhibition view, Appearances Can Be Deceiving at the Frida Kahlo Museum, 2012. Photo by Miguel Tovar.
See this stunning show from February 8 to May 12, 2019.
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My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by the Brooklyn Museum.
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