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Exhibition

Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection

October 12, 2019—February 2, 2020
North Carolina Museum of Art

Experience the lives, loves, and influence of two art icons of the 20th century. Few artists have captured the public’s imagination with the force of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907–54) and her husband, the Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera (1886–1957). The myths that surrounded them in their lifetime arose not only from their significant bodies of work, but also from their friendships (and conflicts) with leading political figures and their passionate, tempestuous personal relationships.

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Kahlo and Rivera’s works vary in scope and inspiration. She is best-known for her intense self-portraits, whereas he worked as a large-scale muralist in Mexico and the United States. Kahlo’s work is deeply personal, often depicting her own dreams, painful personal experiences, and affinity with Mexican culture, while Rivera’s more public art portrays everyday people swept up in industrial and cultural revolution. Both artists forged the way for Mexican art as a significant element of the 20th century and beyond. Their art is tied to the legacy of Jacques and Natasha Gelman, who knew Kahlo and Rivera personally. The Gelmans became Mexican citizens in 1942 and began amassing Mexican art, sustaining a growing collection of works by Mexican modernists, including Kahlo, Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and others.

To recognize the native language and cultural heritage of artists in this exhibition, gallery information is provided in both English and Spanish.

A modo de reconocimiento del idioma y del legado cultural de los artistas en esta exhibición, la información de la galería está en inglés y en español.

Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection is organized by the Vergel Foundation and MondoMostre in collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL). The exhibition is made possible, in part, by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc.; and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment for Educational Exhibitions. Research for this exhibition was made possible by Ann and Jim Goodnight/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fund for Curatorial and Conservation Research and Travel. 

This exhibition is ticketed with Scott Avett: INVISIBLE. Internationally recognized as co-founder of the band The Avett Brothers, Scott Avett has been a working artist, focusing on painting and printmaking, since he earned a BFA in studio art from East Carolina University in 2000. But until now this art-making part of his life has been a secret and a more solitary creative pursuit in comparison to his life as a musician, singer, and songwriter. Like his songs, Avett’s paintings speak to universal issues of spirituality and struggle, love and loss, heartache and joy, as well as more personal stories of career, family, and living in the South. The exhibition includes large-scale oil paintings, prints and paintings related to Avett’s musical career.

Scott Avett: INVISIBLE is organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art. This exhibition is made possible, in part, by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc.; and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment for Educational Exhibitions. Research for this exhibition was made possible by Ann and Jim Goodnight/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fund for Curatorial and Conservation Research and Travel.

Presenting sponsors: Nancy and Ron McFarlane, Larry and Debbie Robbins, SOCO Gallery, The Umstead Resort and Spa

Slide Show

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