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Local actor and playwright Nan Colton will
present an original drama on the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
titled "Frida Kahlo: Unforgettable," in the Gulf Coast Museum of
Art (GCMA) auditorium 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 2,
also 2-3 p.m. The presentation is part of the Museum's Humanities
Program Series.
This one-woman presentation was written
expressly for the Gulf Coast Museum of Art and will feature Colton
in costume as artist Frida Kahlo talking about her life, art and
relationship with her photographer and paramour whose photographs
form the exhibition "Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas
Muray." The exhibition opens October 27 and continues through
January 26.
Kahlo's artwork sprang from her own life
experiences -- vivid, sensuous and demanding of attention. She had
tempestuous marriages to Diego Rivera and intermittent love affairs
with others. Frida's luxurious clothes reminded all who saw her of
her Mexican origins and hid her broken body. During the 1930s and
1940s she was friend and lover of Nickolas Murray, photographer,
forming the background of the presentation.
"I paint my own reality," she said. "The
only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint
always whatever passes through my head without any other
consideration."
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of
the birth of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, a year of comprehensive
exhibitions across the continent has been organized to commemorate
one of the most influential female artists of our time. GCMA
presents a selection of rarely seen photographs offering a glimpse
into the private world of Frida Kahlo in vibrant color, through the
lens of dear friend and lover Nickolas Muray.
Muray's photographs of Kahlo documenting
her life at the height of her artistic career. As a key to popular
culture in the early part of the 20th century, Muray documented a
period in history with vibrant color at a time when natural color
photography was a controversial art form. By the time of his death,
most Americans had seen Muray's portraits of presidents and
celebrities and his work was regularly featured in Harper's
Bazaar, Vanity Fair, McCall's and Ladies Home Journal magazines.
It was not until after his death that Muray's daughter found the
negatives of the Kahlo images and decided to have them
developed.
The 47 photographic prints span the
personal and passionate history of Muray and Kahlo's affair
through the 1930s and '40s. In addition to photos, the collection
explores their relationship with excerpts from the compelling
correspondence between the two. All wall text throughout the
exhibition will be printed in both English and Spanish.
GCMA presents this photographic
celebration of Frida Kahlo's life as a part of Arte 2007, Tampa
Bay's two-week celebration of Latin American arts, November
3-17. The work of the finest visual artists, performers,
filmmakers and musicians from Latin America and the Caribbean will
be on display at venues and on the streets of the Tampa Bay
area.
The GCMA presents its Humanities Program
Series as part of its educational programming. The Museum offers
lectures, hands-on workshops, and lunchtime talks by artists
concerning issues in the arts and humanities. Reservations
required. Call 727-518-6833, ext. 204.
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