Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: The Golden Age of Mexican Painting

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego Rivera (1886-1957) have iconic status in Mexico. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 swept away the old régime and banished European influence in the arts. Kahlo and Rivera, in their different ways, helped to shape the cultural identity of twentieth-century Mexico. Together they made Mexico a magnet for the rest of the world.

The Mexican mural movement, born during the 1920s, was destined to produce some of the greatest public art of the last century. Diego Rivera’s panoramic images adorn the walls of public buildings, combining social criticism with a faith in human progress. Inspired by early Italian fresco painting, as well as by Aztec and Maya imagery, his intricate visual narratives incorporate allegory and symbolism.

Compared with the monumental scale of Rivera’s work, Kahlo's work is small in format. Arguably Mexico’s most original painter, she made herself the principal theme of her art. Her paintings reflect her experiences, dreams, hopes and fears.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were married in 1929. Their volatile marriage and the turbulent times they lived through are the subject of the film ‘Frida’ (USA, 2002). They are key figures in 'The Lacuna', a historical novel published in 2009 by Barbara Kingsolver and still on the reading list of many Book Clubs in Australia and the UK.

In 2016, the Art Gallery of New South Wales showed work by both artists. "Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection" (25 June to 9 October 2016) included a wide selection of paintings and drawings. Also displayed were numerous photographs by Edward Weston, Lola Alvarez Bravo and Guillermo Kahlo (Frida’s father). This keenly awaited exhibition memorably explored the art and lives of two of the most famous artists of the twentieth century.