Life in the Blue House
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The Big Apple recreates Frida Kahlo's studio and garden
The studio and garden of the late Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, a magnet for artists and intellectuals all over the world, has been recreated in New York as part of a new exhibition of her work.
The presentation “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” focuses of the artist’s interest in nature, and includes a rare display of more than a dozen original paintings and drawings.
It is the first solo exhibit of Kahlo’s work in New York in more than 10 years, the Bronx-based New York Botanical Garden says.
“We were inspired by Frida Kahlo’s art but also by the artistry of her garden in Mexico City,” explains curator Joanna Groarke.
“We knew from studying her paintings that she was a careful observer of nature and plants, but we learnt when we studied her more that she was also a very passionate plants person.”
The exhibition re-imagines Kahlo’s studio and garden from “Casa Azul” (“Blue House”).
It was the house where Kahlo grew up in Mexico City, lived with her husband, Mexican artist Diego Rivera, and died in 1954 aged 47.
The property is now a museum and a major draw for tourists.
The botanical garden has mounted similar exhibitions in the past to honour British naturalist Charles Darwin, American poet Emily Dickinson and French impressionist artist Claude Monet.
Kahlo was a surrealist painter best known for her haunting self-portraits and her depiction of the female form.
Groarke says the exhibition seeks to examine Kahlo’s work in a different way, and combines plants already in the garden with others sourced elsewhere. The project was five years in the making.
“She is extremely well known here in the United States. We are excited to be able to offer a little bit different view.”
The life and work of Kahlo has been the subject of several films including one in 2002 starring and co-produced by actress Salma Hayek.
Kahlo only received wide recognition for her work decades after her death. She is now considered among the most notable Latin American artists.
