Frida Kahlo: Timeless, Debuts at the College of DuPage
On Friday, June 25, the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage began offering virtual tours of Frida Kahlo: Timeless, a one-of-a-kind, multifaceted exhibition of original artwork by iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
On view through Sept. 6, Frida Kahlo: Timeless is the most comprehensive presentation of Kahlo’s work displayed in the Chicago area in over 40 years. Visitors to the exhibition, both virtual and in-person, can also take advantage of a robust series of virtual programs focused on Kahlo’s life and legacy, freely available on the museum’s website (theccma.org/videos). Virtual talks feature renowned art historians, scholars and curators including Cesáreo Moreno, Chief Curator of the National Museum of Mexican Art and Julie Rodrigues Widholm, Director of the UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive.
The 26-piece collection, on loan from the Museo Dolores Olmedo, features an array of oil paintings and works on paper spanning the life of Kahlo, a Mexican artist foundational to the 20th century art historical canon. Best known for self-portraits highlighting themes of identity, politics, sexuality and death, Kahlo channeled her childhood and personal struggles into her art and became an iconic figure and symbol of female empowerment, individual courage and Mexican pride.
The exhibition includes pivotal pieces created throughout the artist’s life, including 19 oil paintings, representing over one-tenth of the total number of Kahlo paintings in existence. Works from Kahlo’s life follow a period when the artist was bedridden for months after surviving a life-altering bus accident at age 18 and span her lifetime, concluding with a work completed the year of her death.
The exhibition also features a multimedia timeline with replicas of notable objects from Kahlo’s life, over 100 photographic images, a Frida Kahlo-inspired garden and a children’s area.
Frida Kahlo: Timeless will be on view at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, 425 Fawell Blvd., through Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday through Wednesday and 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Thursday.
Making the in-person exhibition accessible to remote audiences, on-demand individual tours are priced at $18 and provide in-depth curatorial commentary from curator Justin Witte and Executive Director Diana Martinez, offering intimate glimpses into the artist’s life and work. Group tours, led by museum docents and offering opportunities for lively discussions and questions, are available Monday – Friday at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. for groups of up to 25 people ($250) and 26-50 people ($500).
For tickets or more information, visit Frida2021.org or call 630.942.4000
