04-04-2025
Frida Kahlo exhibit opens at VMFA with rarely seen art
Frida Kahlo is taking over the VMFA for the next six months.
Why it matters: The Richmond museum is the second place in the country to host the exhibition, which opens Saturday.
The big picture:"Frida: Beyond the Myth" vows to move past the commercialized portrayal of the 20th-century Indigenous Mexican artist and her famous eyebrows.
Axios got a sneak peek this week: It weaves you through the defining moments of Kahlo's life, captured through the lens of her father in the early years and, later, those close to her.
You get to see her as a kid, defying gender norms while wearing her dad's three-piece suit in a family portrait.
Through her paintings and drawings, you see her process miscarriages, and the back-to-back betrayals from her husband Diego Rivera.
Yes, but: The exhibit doesn't reduce her art and life to just her suffering. It instead shows how her disabilities — which include chronic pain from a traumatic bus accident, an amputation and depression — shaped her will to live.
They influenced her politics, queerness, rebelliousness, fashion and humor.
"She was someone who really fought for her right and her freedom to express herself however she wanted, from the beginning of her life to the end," curator Sarah Powers told Axios.
Zoom in: Where the exhibit thrives is in its design. Its walls are colored like the Casa Azul, the blue house Kahlo grew up and died in at the age of 47.
There are terracotta-painted windows throughout that give glimpses into the works you'll see next — many of which have rarely been seen outside of Mexico, per the VMFA.
And there are few chances to interact with the art, including a backdrop mimicking the " Frida on White Bench" photo.
All the info and descriptions are provided in English and Spanish.
What's ahead: Throughout these next six months, the VMFA will host events honoring Kahlo, including:
April 5: ¡FridaFest!, a full day of live music, paintings and food from local Mexican restaurants. 1-7pm.
April 25: A talk with Hayden Hererra, the author of the Frida Kahlo biography. 6:30-7:30pm. $8.
April 26: A film screening of "Frida" starring Salma Hayek. 1-4pm.
