Rare Photos of Frida Kahlo on Display in Budapest Exhibition
An exhibition showcasing photographs from different periods of the renowned Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s life, titled “Frida Kahlo – Her Photos,” has opened in Budapest at Mai Manó Ház.
The collection, displayed in Hungary for the first time, features 241 previously unpublished photographs that Frida treasured. Following the artist’s passing in 1954, her husband, Diego Rivera, gifted their former residence in Mexico City, known as the Blue House, to the Mexican people, transforming it into a museum dedicated to Frida’s legacy.
However, a significant portion of the artist’s personal possessions, including six thousand photographs, drawings, letters, medicine, and clothing, remained locked away in a bathroom for fifty years. In 2003, the personal archive was unveiled, with exhibition curator and photographer Pablo Ortiz Monasterio selecting 241 of the discovered photographs. Since its debut in Mexico City in 2009, the collection has been viewed by nearly one million individuals in 20 cities.
The exhibition is divided thematically into six sections: The Origins, The Blue House, Politics, Revolutions, and Diego, Her Broken Body, Frida’s Loves, and Photography.
Perla Labarthe Álvarez, the museum director, emphasized the significance of photography in Frida’s life, highlighting her family’s background in the art form. The exhibition includes photographs akin to a family photo album, with influences from portraits captured by Frida’s father resonating in her artwork.
One section, “Frida’s Loves,” portrays individuals crucial to the artist, such as Diego Rivera, her sister Cristina, and her first love, Alejandro Gómez Arias. The collection encapsulates the intimacy shared between Frida and her loved ones amidst her tumultuous life, with the director noting the significance of kiss prints and autographs on the images.
The exhibition, scheduled to remain open until January 12, was a collaborative effort between the Frida Kahlo Museum and the Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Tamás Kovács
