Frida Kahlo Exhibition
The Georgian House Hotel is
a great place to stay if you are planning a visit to the
Tate Modern where Frida Kahlo's exhibition is taking place.
The hotel is located in a quiet, safe area close to Victoria
Station and just a short bus or tube journey to the Tate
Modern. Buses return to Victoria throughout the night, and
the hotel reception is open 24 hours.
Who was Frida Kahlo?
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter, born on 6th July 1907
and died on 13th July 1954.
Frida Kahlo was a singular personality, characterized since
her childhood by a deep sense of independence and rebellion
against social and moral habits. She was moved by passion
and sensuality, proud of her "Mexicanidad" and
cultural tradition set against the reigning Americanization:
everything mixed with a peculiar sense of humor.
Frida Kahlo claimed to be born in 1910 which was the year
of the outbreak of the Mexican revolution; this was because
she wanted her life to begin together with the modern Mexico.
The Life of Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo’s life was marked by physical suffering,
started with the polio contracted at the age of five and
worsened by a near fatal bus accident in 1925. She suffered
severe injuries to her body owing to a pole that pierced
her from the stomach to the pelvis. The medicine of her
time tortured her body with surgical operations (32 throughout
her life), corsets of different kinds and mechanical "stretching"
systems. Because of these injuries, much of her works were
painted lying in the bed. Frida Kahlo was also never able
to have any children which were a great sorrow for her.
She had a great love, Diego Rivera (she married twice with
this man and dedicated to him a passionate diary) but also
many lovers, men and women, such as Leon Trotsky and André
Breton's wife....
Frida Kahlo - Her Famous Works
Frida Kahlo had always dreamt of being a famous doctor,
however whilst recovering from her dreadful injuries, she
taught herself to paint. Having never studied art, Frida
studied the works of the Italian Renaissance and began to
paint for any visitors and relatives willing to pose for
her. She then gave the paintings away as gifts.
Amongst her many paintings, the most famous ones that will
be on display at the Tate Modern are:
- The Bus (1929) - one of Frida Kahlo's early works
- My Grandparent, My Parents and I - painted by Frida
in 1936, setting out her genealogy.
- The Two Fridas (1939) - Her most famous painting - a
double portrait created during her separation and divorce
from Diego.
Frida Kahlo's position as a globally recognised cult figure
has become so powerful that at times it threatened to overshadow
her art. First and foremost, Frida Kahlo was a painter,
and for this reason Tate Modern's exhibition focuses upon
the frank testimony of the paintings themselves.
Between 1926, when she made her first self-portrait, and
her death in 1954, Frida Kahlo produced around 200 images.
Certainly the biographical details of her remarkable life
inflect many aspects of her work, yet her depiction of her
body and experiences can also be seen as a response to wider
cultural and political debates. For all their apparent naivety,
her works frequently reveal an incendiary subtext, whether
they are questioning power relationships between developed
and developing nations, testing the role of women within
patriarchal society, or attempting to reconcile the global
histories and religions of East and West.
For more information visit www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/kahlo
Georgian House Hotel is ideally situated
in a very central location, so visiting sights all over
London is quick and easy. Why not book Georgian House Hotel
when you plan a trip to the Proms? You can book online
or email to make a reservation on reception@georgianhousehotel.co.uk,
or telephone on 0044(0)207 834 1438
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