New York City museum opening exhibit on iconic artist Frida Kahlo

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Wednesday, February 6, 2019
New York City museum opening exhibit on iconic artist Frida Kahlo
Kemberly Richardson reports on the new Frida Kahlo exhibit opening in Brooklyn.

BROOKLYN, New York City (WABC) -- A new exhibit at a New York City museum is diving into the life and works of an iconic artist.

"Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving," opens Friday at the Brooklyn Museum and includes Kahlo's clothing and other personal items, key paintings and drawings by the artist, photographs, film, and related objects from the Brooklyn Museum's collection.

The exhibition, the largest in the U.S. in 10 years devoted to Kahlo, marks the first time that personal objects from her lifelong home (Casa Azul, or Blue House) in Mexico City will be on display in the United States.

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The objects, ranging from clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics to letters and orthopedic corsets, will be presented alongside works by Kahlo, including 10 key paintings and a selection of drawings and photographs of the artist.

Offering an intimate glimpse into the artist's life, "Appearances Can Be Deceiving" explores how politics, gender, clothing, national identities, and disability played a part in defining Kahlo's self-presentation in her work and life.

After Kahlo's death in 1954, her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, instructed that their personal belongings be locked away at the Blue House, not to be touched until 15 years after his death. In 2004, these items were unearthed and inventoried.

Paintings on view include iconic works such as Self-Portrait with Necklace (1933), Self-Portrait with Braid (1941), and Self-Portrait as a Tehuana, Diego on My Mind (1943), which depicts Kahlo in traditional Tehuana clothing and an elaborate headdress with a miniature portrait of Diego placed squarely above her iconic brow.

The exhibit runs through May 12.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit BrooklynMuseum.org.

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