Self-portrait with Monkeys, Frida Khalo, 1943

Passionate activists and a real-life married couple — Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are undeniably Mexico’s most famous artists. The two were known for their commitment to the Mexican revolution that began to reshape their country, as well as each other.

Now 60 years after their deaths, the couples’ work is being presented together in a unique exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario entitled Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting, on until January 20, 2013.

Featuring more than 60 photographs of the couple and more than 80 works done on paper and paintings by the couple, the exhibit will feature almost a quarter of Kahlo’s entire body of work and a wide range of Rivera’s painting style from his early cubist works to his Mexican murals.

One of the most graphic and emotionally intense part of the exhibit include Kahlo’s self-portraits done after she was involved in a near-death accident that would literally change her life. An 18-year-old Kahlo was severely injured in a bus accident that broke her spine, two ribs, collarbone, pelvis and left her with multiple fractures on her right leg and foot. Not only that, but an iron handrail impaled her uterus. During the three months she spent in a full-body cast, Kahlo asked for a mirror to be placed over her bed, so she could paint her reflection. These self-portraits during this time and after, some of which graphically show her physical suffering, have dominated her work.

Guest curated by Dot Tuer, OCAD University professor and cultural historian, the exhibit aims to offer a fresh perspective on the pair’s cultural significance. We highly suggest checking this impressive exhibit while it’s in town!

Tickets: $25/adult
Wednesday nights (6-8:30pm): $12.50/adult

Where to Find:
Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas St. West
Toronto ON M5T 1G4
1 877-225-4246
ago.net