The Original Instagrammer

I'd never seen the Norton Museum as crowded as it was for "Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism."  Frida's star is burning a lot hotter than Diego's at the moment.

"Diego on My Mind" Close-Up (1943)

 

She wasn't shy about infantilizing her hubby even though she rode his coattails early in her career.

"The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico),
Myself, Diego, and Señor Xolotl" (1943)

There's also no denying Kahlo loved painting her self-portrait, mustache and all.  How much art would the world have lost if she lived in the time of camera phones and Instagram?

Self-Portrait with Monkeys (1943)

I love how the exaggerated braid repeats the curve of her trademark unibrow.

Self-Portrait with Braid (1941)

Self-Portrait on Bed (1937)

A series of photos shot by one of her lovers heightens the aptness of the Instagram comparison.

Frida Kahlo by Nickolas Muray (1939)

The exhibit includes examples of traditional Mexican dress that contributed to her iconic look.

Kahlo took her color palette from indigenous arts & crafts like this exquisite embroidery.

Far fewer works by Rivera are on display.  I'll need to go to Mexico City to see his murals.

Landscape with Cacti (1931)

I didn't pay much attention to the full title of the exhibit ("from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection") until I read the label text identifying Natasha in several portraits, including this one by Rivera, commemorating her youthful voluptuousness.  She displayed it in her Cuernavaca salon until her death in 1998.

Portrait of Mrs. Natasha Gelman
by Diego Rivera (1943)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art already has acquired Jacque's extensive paintings from the School of Paris.  Mexican artists who were entirely unfamiliar to me comprise the remaining works, whose ownership has been disputed.  

Portrait of Mrs. Natasha Gelman 
by David Alfaro Siqueiros (1950)

"Festival of the Birds" by Carlos Merida (1959)

"The Diner" by Rufino Tamayo (1938)

Apparently the art scene in Mexico City was really happening shortly after the revolution and the Gelmans, who became rich producing the films of Cantinflas (Around the World in 80 Days) after fleeing Nazi Germany, became its major patrons.

The Norton added some new art since my last visit, including this Nefertiti disco bust.

I would have called this work by Nick Cave "the Fuller Brush Man."

"Soundsuit" by Nick Cave (2010)

The museum's enormous lobby space offers the perfect backdrop for unique works of art.

Calder BMW Art Car (Artists Proof) & Tapestry  (1975/2021)