The Museo de las Artes (MUSA), considered by many to be Guadalajara’s premier art space, is preparing to house an exhibit that is expected be hugely popular with locals and visitors alike.
“Frida Without Borders” showcases images, documents and archives focused on the last years of the life of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Most of the exhibits for the show are taken from the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo (the Casa Azul or Blue House) in Mexico City. The exhibit, which has already toured several cities in the United States, is curated by Cristina Kahlo, great-niece of the Mexican painter. Guadalajara will be its first stop in Mexico.
A severe bus accident at the age of 18 left Kahlo in lifelong pain, and many of her paintings reflect her experience of chronic pain. Her health began to decline in the last decade of her life, and she was frequently bedridden. Nonetheless, she managed to attend the opening of her first solo exhibition in Mexico in 1953, shortly before her death in 1954 at the age of 47. Her rise to international prominence came after her death, with her work becoming celebrated as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
“Frida Without Borders” open on Friday, March 17 and will remain open until August 6. MUSA is located at Avenida Juárez 975, Colonia Americana, and is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free entry.