The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is set to host a major exhibition featuring personal photographs of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
The exhibition, titled “Frida Kahlo: Picturing an Icon,” will run from June 14 to Oct. 5, according to a community announcement. It will showcase 115 images from a collection of 450 photographs and objects acquired in 2003 by Vicente Wolf, a Cuban-born interior designer based in New York City. Wolf is believed to own the largest known collection of personal and family photographs of Kahlo in private hands.
“My intention was to focus on the most iconic and emotionally resonant images — those that best capture Frida’s presence, her aura and the complexity of her personal life,” Wolf said in the announcement. “I was especially drawn to those that offered an intimate glimpse into her world, particularly those taken by Diego (her husband, Mexican artist Diego Rivera), which feel charged with both affection and insight. My goal was to create a portrait of Frida that goes beyond the myth — to reveal the woman, the artist and the vulnerability behind the legend.”
Unidentified photographer. Frida Kahlo, Blue House, Coyoacán, Mexico City, n.d. Gelatin silver print. The Vicente Wolf Collection.
The museum has created a specially designed space for the exhibition, using a color palette taken from a photograph of Kahlo for Vogue Magazine, according to Executive Director Sarah J. Hall. All interpretive materials for the exhibition will be presented in both Spanish and English, and the museum has planned complementary activities, including Latin classical music performances, diary-making workshops and summer camps.
“We want our visitors to be inspired by Frida’s spirit by tapping into lived experience to make art,” Hall said in the announcement.
Wolf said that he hopes visitors will gain a deeper understanding of Kahlo through the exhibition.
“It’s one thing to see her art; it’s another to see the life that fueled it,” he said in the announcement.
The exhibition is organized by Vicente Wolf Associates from Wolf’s collection. Major funding has been provided by Nora and Bruce Wilder and the Visit Hagerstown & Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and is closed on Mondays and major holidays. Admission and parking are free. For more information, go to wcmfa.org or call 301-739-5727.
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This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Frida Kahlo exhibition coming to Hagerstown museum
