The life and work of Frida Kahlo is known throughout artist communities and much of the world. Numerous biographies and critiques have been written about the Mexican painter, and in 2002, Salma Hayek brought the infamous character to life in the movie Frida.
Despite the broad reach of this historic woman, a recent art exhibit is raising a perplexing question: how well do any of us know Frida Kahlo?
Frida Kahlo’s Complete Collection
In San Diego, California, an art exhibit at the Naval Training Center at Liberty Station boasts having all 123 of Kahlo’s paintings on display. The only problem is that none of the paintings are completed by the acclaimed artist.
The title of the exhibit, “The Complete Frida Kahlo: Her Paintings, Her Life, Her Story” is thought to be misleading, as all of the art work are replicas.
The Missing Pieces
Many of those who have visited the displays are unaware that these pieces are merely facsimiles of the real paintings. Disclaimers stating the truth are hard to find and often overlooked.
If this art is not the work of Frida Kahlo, then who should it be accredited to? Four artists from China are responsible for replicating the 123 paintings, but they are not named anywhere throughout the exhibit.
However, the spotlight shines on the couple who arranged this exhibit. Dr. Mariella Remund and Hans-Jürgen Gehrke invested 30 years and their life savings into this project. Five years ago, they decided to present their project to the public. When asked about what drove them to put together this extensive collection, Remund responded, “…we are crazy.” The pair reportedly loves Mexico and admires Mexican culture. They especially enjoy Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Completely Dishonest or Just Unconventional?
Despite receiving appropriate rights from Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museums Trust to replicate the paintings, Remund and Gehrke did not properly advertise these paintings as replicas. The show has been referred to as “completely dishonest” by notable art critics.
Remund stands her ground though. She is not worried that some people think the pieces are Frida Kahlo originals. Nevertheless, she has an 8.5” by 11” sheet of paper displayed at the entrance of the exhibit explaining the paintings are replicas.
What is an art exhibit that has a complete collection of replicated art work? Dishonest or unconventional? Is it a unique approach to honoring historic art, or downright (as Remund says) “crazy”?
Read more Segmation blog posts about Historic Artist:
Katsushika Hokusai – Creative Japanese Artist
The Expressive Vincent van Gogh
Jan van Eyck – Renaissance Realist
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Romare Bearden was an artist whose personal style went against the “mainstream” of art in the post World War II era. Overtime, Bearden’s style did not change as other artists’ did. He remained consistent in his abstract and expressive approach. This is evident in all of his paintings and even more so in his collages.
In addition to this, another common theme of his art was jazz music. This greatly advanced his individual style. His art relayed one common theme but his style was advanced by his personal interpretation of jazz music. Bearden constructed collages in the same way jazz musicians created a song — with many staccato notes played by multiple instruments. In the same sense, Bearden cut and pasted many small excerpts of paintings and photographs to create a larger work of art.
The reason Bearden used this technique was because he felt that art portraying the lives of African American’s did not give full value to the individual. This is why he used collages. In doing so he was able to combine abstract art with real images so that people of different cultures could grasp the subject matter of the African American culture: The people. This is why his theme always exemplified people of color.
Outside The Lines 