Portland Art Museum hosts exhibit by famous Mexican painters Rivera, Kahlo, and others

(FEBRUARY 18, 2022) Portland Art Museum has a new exhibit of artwork by famous Mexican painters. People can visit the exhibit in downtown Portland from February 19 through June 5, 2022.

The exhibit explores how artists visualized national identity after the Mexican Revolution. Visitors will notice a blending of farm life and Indigenous traditions with anti-colonialist feelings. This style of art was called Mexican Modernism. The exhibit has more than 150 pieces. The artwork is by very famous painters Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and others. There are paintings, photographs, and even clothing from the 1900s to the 1950s.

Diego Rivera was famous for murals throughout Mexico City in which he showed much history. He wanted to instill optimism and pride. Frida Kahlo, on the other hand, focused more on personal identity. Her work often included self-portraits. The exhibit also includes artwork by other artists who lived at the same time. Those artists explore modern styles like abstraction, geometry, asymmetry, strong contrasts, and sharp focus. They connected their images with mexicanidad, or the uniqueness of Mexican culture and identity.

“This exhibition is really special for us and for the Portland community,” said Sara Krajewski. She works for the museum. “Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are beloved artists, and we are thrilled to be presenting some of their most recognizable works. They were at the center of a vibrant artistic community as well, and I am looking forward to sharing the broader moment of Mexican modernism through works by Kahlo and Rivera’s peers who may be less familiar to visitors.”

Special sections of the exhibition are devoted to Kahlo’s biography. Visitors will learn about her life at her home, La Casa Azul, see examples of traditional clothing akin to her wardrobe, and observe the way she boldly depicted herself and the disabilities and chronic illness that became a powerful element in her art. Today people admire Kahlo as a revolutionary artist and a feminist, and her strength grew through adversity. That includes the long-lasting effects of childhood polio. In 1925, she experienced a traumatic bus accident that resulted in multiple injuries. The accident shattered her pelvis and spine and led to the amputation of her leg. Art became a path for survival and self-expression.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for college students and seniors. The exhibit is free for kids age 17 and under. For more information, visit: https://portlandartmuseum.org/