Image by Nikolas Muray; courtesy of VMFA
Frida on White Bench
While many people may think they know Frida Kahlo from her familiar self-portraits, visitors to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond can take a deeper look at one of the most enigmatic faces of the 20th century in an exhibition focused on the celebrated Mexican artist.
The show, Frida: Beyond the Myth, will feature more than 60 works of art. It incorporates a combination of works created by Kahlo, including many rarely seen outside of Mexico, as well as photographs of Kahlo taken by those close to her, including internationally known photographers.
While Kahlo is famous for her vibrant and recognizable self-portraits, this exhibit aims to move past that mythology and shed light on the woman behind the image.
“Everybody might know bits and pieces of her biography and her life story and how she overcame incredible challenges in her life,” said Dr. Sarah G. Powers, the exhibition’s curator.
Photo courtesy of VMFA
Sarah G. Powers, exhibition curator
“But what this exhibition allows us to do is understand the elusiveness of Frida Kahlo, that very strong, opaque veneer that she has in her self-portraits,” Powers continued. “This is actually something that she constructed herself and was kind of an all-encompassing project throughout her life.”
Looking Beyond the Familiar Face
Organized chronologically, the exhibit explores the defining moments of Kahlo’s life as illustrated through her self-portraits, still lifes, and works on paper from the beginning of her career in 1926 until her death in 1954. Her life was punctuated by illness and adversity, beginning with polio at age six that left her with a permanent limp, which was followed by a devastating accident at age 18 that left her with extensive injuries and lifelong pain.
It was during her recuperation from the accident that Kahlo first began to paint, and the resulting themes can be seen throughout her work.
“That is an extraordinary example and perhaps the key to why she has such enduring impact and appeal,” Powers said. “Her stature has only gotten stronger. Her appeal has only gotten larger over time, and it has such wide appeal to so many people. She provides this incredible example of using art as a vehicle for survival and creativity as a means of surmounting unimaginable challenges.”
The show contains a combination of artwork — about half are original paintings, drawings, and prints created by Kahlo while the other half are photographs depicting Kahlo.
Of the 143 paintings Kahlo created in her lifetime, 55 are self-portraits — and visitors will see several of those originals. But they also will see other works that Powers describes as “very intricate narrative paintings” that are “jewel-like in their precision” and tell the story of Kahlo’s life.
“I think people will be surprised to spend a lot of time with these very intricate works that have so much concentration of detail and imagery. She was really a very skilled painter in many other genres other than portraiture,” Powers said.
The exhibit also highlights photographs of Kahlo taken by those who were closest to her, including her husband, Diego Rivera; her father, Guillermo Kahlo; American photographer Nickolas Muray; Mexican photographer Lola Álvarez Bravo; and New York art dealer Julien Levy.
In addition, the VMFA exhibit will feature archival film footage, including images showing Kahlo at her longtime home in the Mexico City borough of Coyoacán. Known as Casa Azul, or the Blue House, it is now the Frida Kahlo Museum.
“It’s just a lovely way of kind of bringing her to life, and we see all this kind of kinetic energy in the exhibition that, coupled with the stillness of her paintings, has a really incredible effect,” Powers said.
Reaching New Audiences with Bilingual Content
Kahlo’s identity was wide ranging — spanning her Mexican heritage, her travels in the United States, her political activism, and her bisexuality — and organizers hope that multi-faceted legacy will allow them to reach new audiences with her art.
“We have all these different kinds of backgrounds for Frida Kahlo, and the wonderful thing about art is that you bring your own background to it. Everyone has a different connection to Frida Kahlo,” Powers said. “But that is the hallmark of great art — that it can transcend different moments in time.”
More than 7 percent of Virginia’s 8.7 million residents speak Spanish at home. With that in mind, Frida: Beyond the Myth will be accompanied by English and Spanish interpretive text, audio guides, and programming.
“As a state art museum that has free general admission and is open 365 days a year, VMFA is committed to representing the cultural and linguistic diversity of our community,” said Dr. Michael R. Taylor, artistic director and chief curator. “Recognizing that English is not the native language of everyone who visits the exhibition, VMFA is offering bilingual content to create a more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming experience for all of our visitors.”
Making I-95 a Gateway to the Arts
The exhibition’s only other U.S. venue was the Dallas Museum of Art, where it was co-curated by Dr. Agustín Arteaga and Sue Canterbury. By bringing such exhibitions to Richmond, the VMFA aims to make world-class art available to wide audiences, said Director and CEO Alex Nyerges.
“The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts makes incredible works of art accessible to everyone who lives in the Commonwealth and beyond,” Nyerges said. “Many of Frida Kahlo’s works are rarely seen outside of Mexico, and this is a unique opportunity to see her original works up close. The artist is beloved by many, and we expect Frida: Beyond the Myth to be one of the most popular exhibitions in the museum’s history.”
The VMFA has been planning the exhibit since 2019, when Powers traveled to Mexico City and visited Casa Azul. It will be on view from April 5 through September 28 — a six-month run that is twice the length of most exhibits. It will encompass Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins in September, as well as two school years in the spring and the fall.
“She has the power to really draw audiences from up and down the I-95 corridor,” said Powers, who hopes the longer time frame allows visitors to come more than once and teachers to bring multiple classes.
“She provides this empowering and inspirational example of how to balance and juggle the need to be yourself with the need to have an exterior persona that’s projected to the world,” Powers said. “And I think everybody can really relate to that.”
Planning a Trip from Northern Virginia
The VMFA is located in the heart of Richmond’s historic Museum District, an easy daytrip or weekend excursion from Northern Virginia via I-95 or Amtrak. Two special events are planned to open the exhibition:
On April 3, Powers will present a Curator’s Talk that can be livestreamed.
On April 5, the museum will host a free community festival — ¡FridaFest! — on the exhibit’s opening day featuring live music, dance performances, and artist demonstrations along with food, beverages, and specialty merchandise.
Admission: Tickets for the exhibition are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors 65+, and $10 for youth ages 7-17 and college students with ID. Tickets will be free for museum members and children ages 6 and under.
In addition, Museums for All participants can purchase tickets at the reduced price of $2 each with a limit of four tickets per Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. As a participant of Blue Star Museums, VMFA also provides free tickets for all active duty, National Guard, and Reserve military personnel and their immediate families.
To purchase tickets, visit the VMFA website here.
Hours: The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Location: The museum is located at 200 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Richmond.
Tours: The exhibition will be accompanied by English and Spanish interpretive texts, audio guides, and programming.
