A fiery love story will be told at the Art Gallery of NSW when it exhibits the works of Mexican artists Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego Rivera (1886 - 1957) in 2016.

The exhibition will feature 40 of Kahlo’s surrealist self portraits and Diego’s canvas works, as well as photographs of the creative couple, giving the public a glimpse into their passionate but often tumultuous relationship.

Kahlo, who is known for her self portraits, often expressed her relationship troubles with symbolic items in her art. While her works are often described as surrealist, Kahlo never intended them to be dreamlike and believed she painted her reality rather than her dreams.

Kahlo endured many physical challenges in her 47 years of life. She contracted polio at the age of six, and the disease withered her right leg and foot. At 18, she was impaled in a bus accident, which left her with permanent damage to her body, including a compromised reproductive system. It was during her recovery from the accident that Kahlo discovered painting, and she would often paint self-portraits as she, often alone during her convalescence, felt she was the subject she knew best. Kahlo’s father gave her a set of oil paints and brushes, and her mother made a custom easel for her so that she could paint in bed. A mirror was installed above her bed so that she could see her reflection. With these tools, Kahlo began to paint.

Kahlo met Rivera when he was painting a mural at the National Preparatory School, while she was studying medicine. She showed him some of her work and he said she had talent, encouraging her to pursue a career in art. Kahlo fell in love straightaway with Rivera, meeting the disapproval of her family and friends. Rivera was twenty years older than Kahlo, much larger than her, and had been married twice before. Still, Kahlo was attracted to his prodigious artistic vision, as well as his large round belly.

After Kahlo and Rivera were married in 1929, they travelled around the USA, as Rivera was commissioned to paint murals in various locations including in San Francisco and Detroit. While in San Francisco, Kahlo showed her painting “Frieda and Diego Rivera” at the Sixth Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Society of Women Artists. Kahlo became friends with French surrealist artist Andre Breton in 1939, and in that same year, she held a major exhibition at a gallery in New York, where she sold 25 of the paintings that were on display.

Kahlo and Rivera were married in 1929, divorced in 1939 and married again in 1940. Kahlo, who was bisexual, had affairs with both men and women. Rivera also has numerous affairs with other women, including Kahlo’s younger sister Cristina, which infuriated his wife. At one stage, Kahlo and Rivera were living in separate, but adjacent living quarters.

“Self portrait as a Tehuana”, also known as “Diego in my thoughts” or “Thinking of Diego” (1943) captures Kahlo’s desire for Rivera. The painting was started after Kahlo and Rivera divorced and finished after they remarried. Kahlo depicted herself wearing a traditional Mexican Tehuana costume, which Rivera liked. Her face is surrounded by spider webs - just the thing to recapture her wayward husband. Rivera’s image appears on her forehead.

Kahlo often used traditional Mexican symbolism in her works, but often assigned her own meaning to them. In "Self-portrait with a monkey" (1938), Kahlo is depicted with a monkey in front of a leafy background. Traditionally monkeys are a symbol of lust, but the monkey in this painting has its arm about Kaho's neck in a tender gesture. Here, the monkey is protective of Kahlo, and also represents her desire to have children.

self-portrait-with-a-monkey
Self portrait with a monkey (1938) Frida Kahlo/fridakahlo.org

The exhibition will run from June 25 to October 9, 2016 at the Art Gallery of NSW.

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