6 Awesome Things You’ll See at the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Exhibit
The world is filled with Frida Kahlo fans. Some are real (the kind that can name even the artists’ pet dog), some are fake (the kind that put up hipster-fied images with inspirational quotes without knowing if she really said that s*&%t!). But I’m not here to hate. I’m here to tell you what a Frida-lover, real or fake, can expect of the Heard Museum’s exhibit, from the perspective of a true fan of the b-i-t-c-h (I’m spelling it, just in case you’re reading this out loud and there are children in the room).
Here is what you are going to indulge in if you visit Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at the Heard Museum.
1. You’ll see 33 original paintings and drawings by these Mexican master artists, according to the Heard Museum, the “Power Couple of Mid-20th century Mexico.” You’ll even see drawings that show Frida Kahlo’s attempt at being political with her art. She failed, because she’s the selfie queen, but she understood her limitations later.
Frida Kahlo’s drawing in criticism of U.S. politics.
2. There are 72 photographs offering a look into the artists’ lives in Mexico taken by various photographers like Frida’s daddy Guillermo Kahlo, Edward Weston, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Nickolas Muray and others. Good ol’ Nicky Muray happened to get jiggy wit’ it with Frida and took some of the most iconic pictures of her we know today (I would too if I was sharing hanky spanky time!).
Photograph of Frida Kahlo in New York by Nickolas Muray.
3. Are you into Frida fashion (for real though, not the Frida t-shirt you wear with high waisted booty shorts)? The exhibit showcases clothing and jewelry that is emblematic of Frida Kahlo’s style. This bad ass Mexican Diva was proud of her indigenous roots and wore Tehuana outfits that made people on the streets of San Francisco stop and say whaaaaaaa?!
Outfits inspired by Frida Kahlo’s style on display at the Heard Museum.
4. For the real kids and the children at heart, there’s the interactive companion exhibit, It’s Your Turn: Frida + Diego, where you get to create a sunflower based on Diego Rivera’s famous Sunflowers, make a Frida paper doll, color and wear animal masks, or write a letter to Frida.
Sun flower-making crafts station for the little ones at the exhibit.
5. Hold me while I hyperventilate with the next thing…You get to play Frida, go into her kitchen and pretend to cook something! Did you know she loved entertaining people in her kitchen at La Casa Azul? Rich peeps, famous artist and controversial political figures ate there while mingling with the chickens, parrots, monkeys, dogs and other pets the Kahlo-Riveras had in their home.
Area where you can play house and “cook” a typical Mexican dish.
6. It can’t get any better than this. The exhibit materials are also in Spanish! So your whole entourage can go to the exhibit and enjoy the full experience. (Shout out to the Heard Museum for their cultural competence).
For this exhibit, the Heard Museum “speaks” Spanish.
Gather your parents, abuelxs, brothers, sisters, primxs and their kids and head to the Heard Museum. The exhibit will be up until August 20 but instead of waiting, I would go multiple times because it’s extensive and impressive. I talk mostly about Frida Kahlo in this article (like I said, I’m a fan) but it’s also a flabbergasting treat to be standing in front Diego Rivera’s work, who played such an important role in visually documenting a part of Mexico’s political history and uprising.
