Celebrated Mexican folk artist Frida Kahlo once famously quipped, “There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the trolley; the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst.” Crippled by a trolley accident as a teen, Kahlo spent years in isolation, learning to paint as she healed before meeting painter Diego Rivera. For all the deep rifts and fresh heartaches that her marriage (and later divorce and later remarriage) to Rivera repeatedly produced, the immense love was often fodder for both of their creative lives — even while the relationship may have sometimes overshadowed their art.
Rivera’s and Kahlo’s works are the subject of an exhibit opening at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale this Thursday and remaining on display through May 31. “Kahlo, Rivera & Mexican Modern Art” — a group exhibition of 75 works including paintings, sculptures, and photographs — also features works by Leonora Carrington, David Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Rufino Tamayo, and many others who helped define Mexico’s modernist art. Events surrounding the show (including a talk with Frida Kahlo historian Salomon Grimberg) are planned throughout its run. Visit nsuartmuseum.org, or call 954-525-5500. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is located at 1 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $10 in advance or $12 at the door.
Thu., Feb. 26, 2015