The Art of Frida

The Dolores Olmedo Museum has the world's largest collection of works by Frida Kahlo.  Two galleries of the museum are devoted to her art.  The last time I was at the museum, many years ago, the Kahlo paintings were not on display.  They were on tour outside of Mexico.  So I was interested in seeing the collection.

I know that many will disagree with me, but I have never been a big fan of Kahlo's art.  I was studying in Mexico in the 70s when I first saw any of her paintings.  At the time I thought, "Who is she, and what's the big deal?"  I think that a part of today's "Frida mania" is as much about the tragic and dramatic circumstances of her life as her artistic talent.  I feel that there are a number of other female artists from Mexico that deserve as much recognition.

Seeing the collection at the Olmedo Museum really did not really change my opinion of her.  One thing that I did note, however, was that her work did not consist solely of self portraits.  Every painting that I had seen previously was a depiction of herself with an occasional picture of her husband Diego Rivera thrown in.  It made me think that she was very self-centered.  This collection contained a number of portraits of other people. 

"Portrait of Luther Burbank"  1932

(Burbank was a famous botanist and horticulturist.)

 "Portrait of Alicia Galant"  1927

(Galant was a personal friend of Frida's)

"Nude of Eva Frederick" 1931

(This drawing was done while Frida was visiting California.  The identity of the subject is debated.  Some say that she was an acquaintance of Frida's; others say that she was a professional black model.)

"The Hand" 1930

"The Mask of Madness"  1945

"My Nurse and I"  1937

"A Few Small Nips" 1935

This grisly scene is based on a newspaper story about a man who murdered his girlfriend, and who in court later said, "I just gave her a few small nips."

"The Broken Column" 1944

"Without Hope"  1945

"Henry Ford Hospital"  1932

Frida traveled with Diego to Detroit when he was commissioned to paint a series of murals at the Detroit Institute of Art.  While in Detroit, Frida, who was three and a half months pregnant suffered a life-threatening miscarriage.

"Frida and the Miscarriage"  1932

"The Bus" 1929

This painting is a subtle allusion to the horrific bus accident in 1925 when she was an eighteen year old schoolgirl which left her with life-long pain.

"The Girl Virginia" 1929

"Portrait of Doña Rosita Morillo"  1944

The woman was the mother of Eduardo Morillo, a Mexican diplomat who commissioned Frida to paint several portraits of his family members.

"Self Portrait with Small Monkey"  1945