‘Frida made her body a canvas for Mexico’

“If you travel to Casa Azul, where she spent astir of her life, archetypal with her household and years aboriginal adjacent to Diego Rivera, you will understand that each of Mexico is here. Frida Kahlo is Mexico. She is the gyration astatine the opening of the 20th century, she is the soul of Mexican artists who revalued pre-Hispanic and traditional culture. Frida made her assemblage a canvas for Mexico: Her clothes, her jewelry, her hairstyles, they were each statements of identity. This style is today a planetary symbol, but backmost then it was besides a profoundly governmental act,” says Perla Labarthe Alvarez, manager of the Frida Kahlo Museum, besides known arsenic Casa Azul (Blue House), successful the Coyoacan vicinity of Mexico City.

It is 11.30 a.m. successful Mexico City; it is nightfall successful Athens. From the photos of the celebrated residence, we cognize that the gardens are lush greenish and the colors of the walls are dazzling blues and reds bathed successful light.

Perla Labarthe Alvarez, manager of the Frida Kahlo Museum, is seen astatine Casa Azul successful Mexico City, where the depository is housed. The creator lived successful this location successful the Coyoacan vicinity of the metropolis from 1929, when she joined Diego Rivera, until her decease successful 1954.

Alvarez speaks to us from her office. The juncture for this exclusive interrogation with Kathimerini is the accumulation “Frida Kahlo – Her Photos,” a well-traveled, extended presumption of the personal, κοινωνικά and creator beingness of the creator arsenic told done the photographic lens. From archetypal worldly of astir 6,000 images, 241 photographs curated by Mexican lensman Pablo Ortiz Monasterio will beryllium exhibited astatine MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography for the archetypal time, renewing the public’s adoration for Kahlo’s pioneering, eccentric, passionate personality.

Besides, photography was ne'er something overseas to Kahlo’s life. On the contrary, it began with her household and ended up feeding her creation and image. Even with torn edges and visible signs of moth bites and the wear and tear of age, galore of the photographs that survived from her idiosyncratic archive transportation backstage memories.

In some, such arsenic those taken by her nephew Carlos Veraza, Kahlo wrote dedications aft cutting them up. The paradox is that she ne'er threw distant the pieces. This materiality of the photographs, the wear and tear – involuntary oregon voluntary – is simply a notation to the “broken” assemblage of the artist, for whom symptom was an mundane occurrence – arsenic were art, authorities and love.

The accumulation shows us backstage moments, such arsenic the photograph sprout with Carlos Chavez, director-general of Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts from 1947 to 1952, with whom Kahlo had very tense relations, but besides public, starring us to two abstracted series: photographs of Mexicans who often visited the Casa Azul, but besides fragments of a nationalist humanities past with which Frida and Diego were proudly associated, adjacent drafting inspiration for the latter’s celebrated revolutionary murals.

Among the photographs, 1 tin besides place the radical she loved: friends, relatives, lovers; and of course, supra all, Diego Rivera. Portraits of men and women who marked her emotion life, some daring, others tender, enactment arsenic mirrors of her emotions. Renowned artists, such arsenic the histrion Dolores del Rio, the Russian-Mexican shaper Arcady Boytler oregon the French-born Mexican surrealist writer and creator Alice Rahon, constitute the mosaic of a beingness afloat of tension.

Of course, the creation of photography itself has its ain space successful the exhibition. In the postulation we find priceless portraits that were fixed to her by large photographers such arsenic Man Ray, Brassai, Tina Modotti, but besides by her begetter himself, Guillermo Kahlo, whom she loved dearly. Each of them saw her differently, and Kahlo adjacent drew images from the photos for her paintings. In the midst of each this, 4 photos that she took herself, signed, and 1 much that is attributed to her, look to bring her to the present.

But let’s start with the basal elements of the exhibition. “How did photography participate Frida Kahlo’s life?” we asked the manager of her museum.

“Photography was a portion of her from the very beginning. Her father, Guillermo Kahlo, was 1 of the astir important photographers successful Mexico astatine the opening of the 20th century,” Alvarez tells us. “He recorded her with the whole family, taught her patience and however to stand successful beforehand of the lens. There were ever cameras, chemicals and images successful the house. It is nary coincidence that Frida grew up successful this universe, learning from a young property to ‘play’ with her gaze, to consciousness comfy with her image. This play aboriginal became painting.”

Nickolas Muray and Frida Kahlo astatine the Blue House successful 1939. [Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Archive / Bank of Mexico / Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust]

Did this household inheritance besides power her painting?

Of course. Guillermo used to overgarment self-portraits; and his girl took them overmuch further. She became the creator of self-portraits. Moreover, she kept from her begetter the thought that an representation tin beryllium accompanied by words – something we spot successful her works, akin to Mexican ex-votos – votives. And don’t forget: The photographs successful her archive often person notes, dedications, adjacent “wounds.” She didn’t propulsion thing away, not adjacent the “wounded” parts. This shows the value she placed connected memory, but besides however she connected her carnal trauma with the trauma of the images.

In the accumulation we besides spot much idiosyncratic photographs of her. What bash they uncover astir her?

They amusement us a sincere woman, who does not fell her pain. The photograph of her person and person Nickolas Muray, where she is shown lying successful furniture aft the accident, is simply a typical example. But others, with friends, with lovers, with radical who stood by her, uncover however adjacent her narration with the representation was. You will see, for example, photos of Tina Modotti – an creator who besides gave her photography advice. These images are not conscionable souvenirs. It is arsenic if she herself identifies with the faces, making them portion of herself. And of course, Diego’s photos person a special place, some adjacent with humorous interventions. They are her loves, connected paper.

Frida Kahlo astatine the property of 5 (1912). [Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Archive / Bank of Mexico / Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust]

Did she besides use photography arsenic a tool successful her work?

She often worked connected photographs: She made drawings, took references for colors oregon expressions, adjacent for portraits of her father. In her archive we recovered photographs that she had “tweaked,” but besides her ain shots, such arsenic the 1 with the Mexican toys that correspond her accident. At the aforesaid time, thanks to her friendships with large photographers, she had invaluable images successful her hands. Edward Weston and Modotti gave her photographs from the revolutionary period, Man Ray and Brassai brought the regard of the European avant-garde, while Manuel Alvarez Bravo revealed Mexico to her done a poetic gaze. Some of these images entered her paintings arsenic they were – such arsenic the achromatic feline by the Hungarian lensman Martin Munkacsi. Photography was for her some a tool and an inspiration.

So why did the postulation stay backstage for so galore years?

We don’t cognize the nonstop reason, but we bash cognize that Diego Rivera was instructed to support his idiosyncratic belongings and Frida’s separately, successful different parts of this house. These idiosyncratic belongings included household photos, nationalist documents, letters, medicines, her clothes, things that didn’t look important astatine the time. They remained that way for decades until the depository decided to unfastened the boxes. And then we discovered a treasure, portion of which you will spot successful Thessaloniki.

“Frida Kahlo-Her Photos” will beryllium exhibited astatine the MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, from October 3, 2025 to January 4, 2026.