ART JOURNEY: From the Blue House to Brooklyn

By Jorge Jefferds April 26, 2019

Frida Kahlo

She died at the young age of 47 and she left a legacy of clothing, furniture, and ornaments besides her amazing artwork.

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s unique and immediately recognizable style was an integral part of her identity. Kahlo came to define herself through her ethnicity, disability, and politics, all of which were at the heart of her work. Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving is the largest U.S. exhibition in ten years devoted to the iconic painter and the first in the United States to display a collection of her clothing and other personal possessions, which were rediscovered and inventoried in 2004 after being locked away since Kahlo’s death, in 1954. They are displayed alongside important paintings, drawings, and photographs from the celebrated Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art, as well as related historical film and ephemera. To highlight the collecting interests of Kahlo and her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, works from our extensive holdings of Mesoamerican art are also included.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

Kahlo’s personal artifacts—which range from noteworthy examples of Kahlo’s Tehuana clothing, contemporary and pre-Colonial jewelry, and some of the many hand-painted corsets and prosthetics used by the artist during her lifetime—had been stored in the Casa Azul (Blue House), the longtime Mexico City home of Kahlo and Rivera, who had stipulated that their possessions not be disclosed until 15 years after Rivera’s death. The objects shed new light on how Kahlo crafted her appearance and shaped her personal and public identity to reflect her cultural heritage and political beliefs, while also addressing and incorporating her physical disabilities.

"Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving" is based on exhibitions at the Frida Kahlo Museum (2012), curated by Circe Henestrosa; and the V&A London (2018), curated by Claire Wilcox and Circe Henestrosa, with Gannit Ankori as curatorial advisor. Their continued participation has been essential to presenting the Brooklyn exhibition, which is organized by Catherine Morris, Sackler Senior Curator for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, and Lisa Small, Senior Curator, European Art, Brooklyn Museum, in collaboration with the Banco de México Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, and The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art and The Vergel Foundation.

According to a recent report in the website of the Brooklyn Museum, advance tickets are sold out through the close of the exhibition. Same-day, on-site tickets are timed, offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and sell out quickly each day. A limited number of complimentary, advance Member tickets are still available for Members-only hours on April 24 and 27 and May 1, 4, 8, and 11, with advance ticket reservation strongly recommended.

“Frida Kahlo: Appearances can be Deceiving,” is exhibited in the Brooklyn Museum from February 8 until May 12, 2019. Located at 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY, 11238, the cultural venue is open Monday through Friday (call the number 718.638.5000 to confirm their current hours or visit their webpage www.brooklynmuseum.org). 

On-site parking is available in the lot behind the Museum, off Washington Avenue. On Target First Saturdays there's a flat rate of $6 beginning at 5 pm. There is also public transportation that can take you to the location.  By clicking the menu Directions in the institution’s home page, you will receive more instructions about it. If you want to ride your bike, park the bicycle at the racks behind the Museum, next to the Sculpture Garden. Consider that they are parked at your own risk; the museum does not take over any responsibility for vandalism or theft.